One hundred and eighty-seven years after Thomas Jefferson's dream of establishing the University of Virginia was realized, the University stands as one of the most prestigious universities in the country. U.S. News & World Report continues to rank the University among the top twenty-five universities, public and private, in the country, tied with Georgetown University at number twenty-three. Among public institutions, only the twenty-first-ranked University of California-Berkeley placed higher.

Recognition extends to many areas of the University. This is the thirteenth consecutive year in which U.Va. has been recognized for the highest graduation rate for African American students among major public institutions. The University is ranked number one among comparably sized universities in sending graduates into service with the Peace Corps. And last year the American Nurses Credentialing Center awarded the University of Virginia Medical Center the acclaimed Magnet Recognition for nursing excellence.

On the financial side, the University also fares well. The strategic management of the University's endowment has resulted in a consistently strong performance. At $4.4 billion, U.Va.'s long-term pool ranks among the five largest endowments of public universities and among the thirty largest of all colleges and universities in the nation. Equally important, the endowment per student continues to rank among the largest of the nation's public universities.

At the same time, the University of Virginia ranks fourth among the top 100 values in public colleges, according to an annual survey in Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. In addition to its overall ranking at number four, when financial aid is taken into consideration, U.Va. ranks second in offering the lowest cost to in-state students. This standing reflects the impact of the University's AccessUVa program, which guarantees that the University will meet 100 percent of demonstrated need for all admitted undergraduate students.

Broadening Student Experiences
The University has made strides in addressing the need for greater access by students from across the economic spectrum, 

additional study-abroad opportunities, implementing environmental sustainability, and focusing on diversity. Recent initiatives now contributing to the student experience on Grounds and beyond include the following:

• AccessUVa, our financial aid program designed to keep a higher education affordable for all admitted students regardless of economic circumstance
• J-term, the new two-week January program that includes several classes abroad among its offerings
• Semester at Sea, the global study-abroad program on board a floating campus
• ecoMOD, a collaborative project by architecture and engineering students that is developing a series of ecological, modular, and affordable house prototypes

The inaugural symposium, "In Katrina's Wake: Racial Implications of the New Orleans Disaster," in the new Symposium on Race and Society series was held in fall 2006. Sponsored by the Office of the Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity, the event brought together experts from across the nation to discuss racial inequity and marked a new era in diversity at the University.

Campaign Progress
The Campaign for the University of Virginia has continued to make impressive progress since its public launch on September 29, 2006. With commitments in excess of $1.35 billion 

as of June 2007, the campaign total is nearing the $1.43 billion raised in the last campaign. A transformational gift from Frank Batten, Sr. (College '50), announced on the eve of Founder's Day, will create the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Mr. Batten's is the single largest gift in the history of the University and will create the first new school at the University since the Darden School of Business was founded in 1954. Other major gifts this year include the following:

• A gift from Richard and Sherry Sharp of Richmond, Virginia, to the University's Health System to accelerate cancer research, help build a new women's oncology clinic within the new Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center, and support nursing education
• A pledge from Sheila C. Johnson of The Plains, Virginia, to establish the Sheila C. Johnson Center of Human Services at the Curry School of Education
• A commitment from Richmond-based Philip Morris USA to the School of Medicine and the McIntire School of Commerce that will create a partnership supporting independent medical research in a number of key areas as well as supporting leadership development and recruitment programs

Many of the building projects that are supported by campaign gifts are moving ahead. By the end of the 2007 fiscal year, private funding for Phase I of the South Lawn Project reached $59.5 million of the $61.2 million goal. The project's cost is $105 million. Construction is well under way on the building, which is scheduled for completion in 2010. The "Back to the Lawn" building and renovation project for the McIntire School of Commerce is in its final stages, with completion expected in December 2007. Some $53 million in private funding was received for the $61 million project by the end of the 2007 fiscal year.

The President's Commission on the Future of the University
The University is clearly at a turning point, a time when aspirations can be defined and a clear vision of the University's future achieved. The Restructuring Act, which became effective in July 2006, called for a major adjustment of the institution's relationship to state regulatory agencies and has afforded the University added financial flexibility that is already producing positive results. With this newly gained flexibility, the continued success of fundraising, and the distinction that U.Va. has attained nationally and internationally, the University has embarked on a multifaceted planning process embracing virtually every aspect of the academic enterprise. This process culminates in the President's Commission on the Future of the University, which will lay the foundation for the institution for the years ahead and guide tomorrow's leaders of Mr. Jefferson's University.

The President's Commission on the Future of the University began its work in March 2007. Cochaired by Leonard W. Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer; and Dr. Arthur Garson, Jr., executive vice president and provost, the group of planners has been charged with proposing strategic directions for the University. The commission comprises four committees:

• The Committee on Schools and the Medical Center, cochaired by Carl P. Zeithaml, dean of the McIntire School of Commerce and the F. S. Cornell Professor of Free Enterprise; and James H. Aylor, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Louis T. Rader Professor of Electrical Engineering
• The Committee on Programmatic Initiatives, cochaired by Robert D. Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairs; and J. Milton Adams, vice provost for academic programs
• The Committee on Student and Faculty Life, cochaired by Gertrude J. Fraser, vice provost for faculty advancement; and Rachel Most, assistant dean and director of advising in the College of Arts and Sciences
• The Committee on Funding and Other Resources, cochaired by Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget; and Karin Wittenborg, University librarian

Preliminary reports produced by the commission and its committees were posted in June 2007 on the commission's Web site, www.virginia.edu/planningdocuments/commission. The University community has been invited to read and comment on the reports. The committee chairs posted revised reports in November, with a final report to be submitted for approval by the Board of Visitors in February 2008.

This is the third such institutional planning commission in the University's history. The first commission helped plan the University's desegregation, coeducation, and expansion of graduate programs in the 1960s. The second, in the 1990s, responded to the state's request for budget reductions by creating plans that undergirded the University's last capital campaign. The 2007 commission's work is similarly critical to the University's future, as it examines ways to distinguish the University among its national and international peers and assesses the resources needed to support the University's aspirations.

​ The University of Virginia Today ​
U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT RANKINGS The University ranks second among public universities and twenty-third among all national universities. Five schools at the University are ranked in the top twenty: ​ Architecture    6th McIntire    9th Law    10th Darden    12th Nursing    19th ​ The McIntire School of Commerce tied for number nine in the Best Business Schools category, while the School of Engineering and Applied Science was in a four-way tie for number thirty-three in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs. The University ranks sixteenth among national universities on the Great Schools, Great Prices list. Inclusion is based on a formula that relates a school's academic quality, as indicated by its U.S. News ranking, to the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid. The University's College at Wise, which is one of twenty-seven public institutions ranked among the nation's 266 liberal arts colleges, is number one among the publics in the Least Debt category and number two among all liberal arts colleges in that category. Seven medical specialties at the University were ranked by U.S. News & World Report's eighteenth annual survey of "America's Best Hospitals," published July 2007. ​ Endocrinology    8th Gynecology    22nd Cancer    27th Neurology/neurosurgery    29th Respiratory diseases    39th Digestive disorders    47th Urology    49th ​	OTHER RANKINGS For the fifth consecutive year, the University ranks number one among comparably sized universities in the number of graduates who enter the Peace Corps. In 2006, U.Va. ranked in the top ten among all U.S. colleges and universities for study-abroad participation among students. The American Nurses Credentialing Center bestowed the acclaimed Magnet Recognition for nursing excellence on the University of Virginia Medical Center. Only 3 percent of U.S. hospitals have achieved this recognition. The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients ranked the University of Virginia Medical Center number one in the nation for its high lung transplant survivability rate of 98.08 percent. The University's graduation rate of 87 percent for African American students is the highest of any major public university in the country, according to an annual survey by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. In a survey conducted with the Princeton Review, PC Magazine recognized the University of Virginia as one of its 2007 Top 20 Wired Colleges. For the fourth consecutive year, the executive education faculty of the Darden School of Business was ranked as the best in the world by Financial Times. The faculty teaching Darden's executive education classes also teach the school's MBA courses. Darden was ranked number one for course design and teaching materials. Other top-four rankings for the program included food and accommodations, aims achieved, facilities, and new skills and learning. The school was ranked third overall in the open-enrollment provider category. Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked the University of Virginia fourth in its list of Top 100 Values in Public Colleges. U.Va. also ranks second in the cost to in-state students once financial aid is applied. Virginia also has the highest four-year (84 percent) and six-year (93 percent) graduation rates of all the institutions in Kiplinger's Top 100 rankings. The Darden School of Business is ranked number four in Forbes magazine's biennial ranking of top U.S. business schools. This represents a jump of four spots for Darden since Forbes' last ranking in 2005. The John Paul Jones Arena was named the Best New Concert Venue at the Eighteenth Annual POLLSTAR Concert Industry Awards Ceremony. The home court of Virginia's men's and women's basketball teams, the multipurpose arena hosted some of the biggest names in entertainment during its first year, including Dave Matthews Band, Eric Clapton, George Strait, and Billy Joel. ​   ​ THE UNIVERSITY AT A GLANCE ENROLLMENT, FALL 2007 Undergraduate    13,636 Graduate    4,830 First Professional (law and medicine)    1,724 On Grounds Continuing Education    644 Total    20,834 ​ FACULTY AND STAFF, 2007-08 Full time instructional and research faculty    2,140 Full time other staff in the Academic Division    5,779
Visit the Facts at a Glance site at www.virginia.edu/Facts/ for more University statistics.