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Department: Retrospect

The Gardens, According to Plan

The Gardens, According to Plan

Learn how the gardens of Grounds have changed—and stayed the same—from Jefferson’s original plans.

Summer 2018

Tom the Builder

Tom the Builder

Thomas Jefferson was a visionary leader--and a meticulous construction manager.

Spring 2018

The Founder’s Secular Vision

The Founder’s Secular Vision

Jefferson’s University of Virginia was to be a modern, secular, science-centered university taught by scholars of distinction, with the students expected largely to govern themselves.

Winter 2017

A Classroom as Big as the Lawn

A Classroom as Big as the Lawn

Through architecture, Jefferson hoped students would gain a sense of design, order and beauty.

Fall 2017

Politics, by Any Other Name

Politics, by Any Other Name

Coy Barefoot (Grad '97) recounts how the University had to overcome determined opposition to come into existence.

Summer 2017

Thomas Jefferson’s Prayer for the Future

Thomas Jefferson’s Prayer for the Future

The Magazine kicks off its series of retrospective pieces commemorating the UVA Bicentennial with a look back at Jefferson's dreams for his University’s future.

Spring 2017

A Flight Forgotten

A Flight Forgotten

The Aviator was crafted to recognize UVA alum and French Air Service pilot James McConnell, whose plane went down in France in 1917. But it’s not your typical WWI memorial.

Fall 2016

Good Science

Good Science

In a series of experiments in a lab on Grounds in 1977, pharmacology professor Alfred G. Gilman made a breakthrough that won him a Nobel Prize.

Summer 2016

Labs of Yore

Labs of Yore

Faculty and alumni remember some true relics of University history: computer labs.

Spring 2016

Human Computer

Human Computer

Caroyl Beddow Gooch's careful calculations of astronomical measurements helped McCormick Observatory become one of the world's top observatories in the mid-20th century.

Winter 2015

Peculiar Properties

Peculiar Properties

Tour of some of the mysterious, historic—and empty—properties owned by the University.

Fall 2015

The Pioneer

The Pioneer

Bernard Mayes had a long list of achievements before he even came to UVA But on Grounds, he is perhaps best remembered as a Cambridge gentleman in a tweed jacket who broke down barriers for gay students and colleagues alike.

Summer 2015

The Many Faces of Cavman

The Many Faces of Cavman

A look at how UVA’s mascot has changed over time

Spring 2015

Admiral of the Antarctic

Admiral of the Antarctic

Before embarking on a naval career that would send him to the North and South poles, Rear Adm. Richard E. Byrd spent a year studying at UVA.

Winter 2014

Ringing the Carillon

Ringing the Carillon

If you thought the sounds of the University Chapel's bells are made by an expert ringer toiling inside the steeple, think again.

Fall 2014

Back to the Future

Back to the Future

Only some of Manning's ideas came to be, but he defined a way of thinking about growth at the University and raised important questions about building values.

Summer 2014

Flag of Honor

Flag of Honor

The flag that hangs in JPJ Arena once covered the casket of a Vietnam veteran.

Spring 2014

The Captain

The Captain

John Leys reflects on football and war.

Winter 2013

Laying the University's Dogs to Rest

Laying the University’s Dogs to Rest

In 1939 and 1953, students gave grand funerals for two beloved University dogs.

Fall 2013

“The Hand That Held the Dagger”

“The Hand That Held the Dagger”

FDR delivers his famous “hand that held the dagger” speech in Mem Gym.

Summer 2013

The School of Athens

The School of Athens

One of Raphael's most famous frescoes has enjoyed its own renaissance at the University.

Spring 2013

The Celestial Dome

The Celestial Dome

Thomas Jefferson envisioned the Rotunda dome room not as a library but as a planetarium for teaching astronomy.

Winter 2012

1817: The First Meeting of the Board of Visitors

1817: The First Meeting of the Board of Visitors

View the minutes from UVA's first BOV meeting including Jefferson, Madison and Monroe.

Fall 2012

A Walk to Remember

A Walk to Remember

The history of Final Exercises at UVA.

Summer 2012