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Granting Excellence

Fund helps future nurses, doctors and lawyers pursue public good

Nursing and medical students working to prevent the spread of AIDS in southern Africa are among the beneficiaries of grants totaling $325,000 that the Jefferson Trust announced April 13, Thomas Jefferson’s birthday.

The UVA Alumni Association’s Board of Managers established the unrestricted endowment in 2004 to fund projects that foster excellence across the University. The trust has raised about a third of its planned $10 million endowment.

The latest grant recipients are:

The Mbeya Program

The Mbeya Program, a project initiated by students in the School of Nursing’s Clinical Nurse Leader program. Backed by a $50,000 grant, nine graduate nursing students, four medical students and a faculty member will initiate a sustainable public health program this summer in Lesotho, where nearly one in three citizens is infected with HIV/AIDS.

The Public Interest Law Association, which last year enabled 59 law students to decline lucrative summer internships in favor of public-interest legal work. The trust’s $50,000 gift will fund 10 to 12 Jefferson Trust PILA fellowships.

The University Art Museum, which will use its $50,000 grant to produce a documentary and an educational video about the Landon Collection of American Fine and Decorative Arts.

The College of Arts & Sciences’ South Lawn Project, which will receive a $150,000 grant.

The Barber Challenge, issued by twin pro football stars Tiki and Ronde Barber (Com ’97). The Barbers pledged $500,000 if UVA’s undergraduate schools raise their alumni-giving participation rates. The trust’s $25,000 grant will help increase awareness of the challenge among alumni and students.