The University of Virginia (also called UVA, U.Va., Mr. Jefferson's University, or simply The University) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, established by Thomas Jefferson. It is the only North American college or university designated as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and is notable in U.S. history for being the first to offer academic specializations in areas now common, such as Architecture, Astronomy, and Philosophy, as well as being the first to separate church and education. Its School of Engineering and Applied Science is the oldest engineering school in the United States associated with a university. Officially, it is incorporated as The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.

History

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On January 18, 1800, plans for a new college were alluded to by Thomas Jefferson, then Vice President of the United States, in a letter written to Joseph Priestley: "We wish to establish in the upper country of Virginia, and more centrally for the State, a University on a plan so broad and liberal and modern, as to be worth patronizing with the public support, and be a temptation to the youth of other States to come and drink of the cup of knowledge and fraternize with us."Noble E. Cunningham, Jr., In Pursuit of Reason: The Life of Thomas Jefferson, p. 336. In 1802, then serving as President of the United States, Jefferson wrote to artist Charles Willson Peale that his concept of the new university would be "on the most extensive and liberal scale that our circumstances would call for and our faculties meet."Alf J. Mapp, Jr., Thomas Jefferson: Passionate Pilgrim, p. 19. Although Virginia was already home to one university, the College of William and Mary, Jefferson had lost confidence in his alma mater, in part because of its religious biases and lack of education in the sciences.Phillips Russell, Jefferson, Champion of the Free Mind, p. 335.

The University of Virginia stands on land purchased in 1788 by an American Revolutionary War veteran, James Monroe. The farmland just outside Charlottesville was purchased from Monroe by the Board of Visitors of what was then Central College in 1817, while Monroe was beginning the first of his own two terms in the White House. Guided by Jefferson, the school would lay its first building's cornerstone later in 1817 and the Commonwealth of Virginia would charter the new university on January 25, 1819.

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The University of Virginia Police have charged a Covesville man with embezzlement and larceny with intent to sell.http://bit.ly/8Bih5y
NBC29 (NBC29) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:49:12 -0000
The University of Virginia Police have charged a Covesville man with embezzlement and larceny with intent to sell.http://bit.ly/8Bih5y
From #UVa Today: The top 5 stories from a memorable year at the University of Virginia. http://bit.ly/8lltXm
uva (UVA) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:25:58 -0000
From #UVa Today: The top 5 stories from a memorable year at the University of Virginia. http://bit.ly/8lltXm
Ginkgo Doesn't Stop Cognitive Decline, University of Virginia Led Study: var addthis_pub"bdwyer"; http://bit.ly/6eFmc0
biotechnology (Pharma Biotech Tech) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:27:10 -0000
Ginkgo Doesn't Stop Cognitive Decline, University of Virginia Led Study: var addthis_pub"bdwyer"; http://bit.ly/6eFmc0
Ginkgo Doesn't Stop Cognitive Decline, University of Virginia Led Study : http://bit.ly/6eFmc0
pharmaceutical (Pharma Biotech Tech) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:10:16 -0000
Ginkgo Doesn't Stop Cognitive Decline, University of Virginia Led Study : http://bit.ly/6eFmc0
@UVA Hey, University of Virginia! Nice to know another #UVA
uva_veiga (Veiga de Almeida) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:12:07 -0000
@UVA Hey, University of Virginia! Nice to know another #UVA
Visiting one of my top three applicant colleges today: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
Wicca3693 (Nick Michael) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:29:48 -0000
Visiting one of my top three applicant colleges today: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

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