<p>This article is about 3 years old, but I'm sure 99% of it still applies. It's not very flattering, and explains much of the problems the school has been having recently...</p>
<p>Yes, that article is old and dated. The biggest problems that UVa had when that article was written had to deal w/ 2 main issues, (a) the state's inability to support the University and its stubborn penchant to micro-manage the school though the Commonwealth only contributes 8% to UVA's operating budget, and (b) UVA's need of more money in order to, for example, maintain the old buildings around Grounds. </p>
<p>Since then, UVa has gained more autonomy from the state with the passing of the Restructuring bill, and it has begun a capital campaign to raise $3 billion. If you walk around Grounds now, you will see tons of construction from the renovation of Rouss Hall (which the article mentions is in need of repair) to the building of a new undergraduate business school complex. UVa has also lifted its hiring freeze and has begun recruiting and hiring top professors/researchers from other schools.</p>
<p>Here's an article written this year about UVa from US News & World Report:</p>
<p>Here's an interesting article about UVA's hiring of James Hilton who is leaving Michigan for Virginia. </p>
<p>According to the article, Hilton was drawn to UVa because of what he calls "the breathtaking trajectory of U.Va. . . . I believe that higher education, especially public higher education, will undergo radical changes during the next decade. Only a handful of schools are poised to meet that challenge, and among these the University of Virginia is uniquely positioned to lead the great publics through that transformation.</p>
<p>FYI...</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>UVA GIVEN $45 MILLION DONATION/ GIFT AMONG LARGEST IN UNIVERSITY'S HISTORY
By Melanie Mayhew of The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress
The University of Virginia Health System on Monday announced a $45 million gift, the university's largest-ever donation earmarked specifically for medical research and clinical applications. The gift from the Ivy Foundation of Charlottesville is one of the largest contributions in university history. It will fund the expansion of laboratory space for biomedical research and support the translation of new discoveries into treatments and cures. The gift also will back new facilities for clinical research and patient care in the areas of cancer and children's health. ... The Ivy Foundation ... is chaired by William C. Battle, an alumnus of UVa's College of Arts & Sciences (1941) and School of Law (1947) [also, former chairman and CEO of Fieldcrest Mills, member of the UVa Board of Visitors from 1976 to 1980 and chairman of the university's first comprehensive capital campaign]. ... Before the $45 million gift, the Ivy Foundation, which was set up to benefit the university, had endowed professorships in pediatrics and fellowships for researchers in the basic medical sciences, among other areas.
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/7sfp2%5B/url%5D">http://tinyurl.com/7sfp2</a></p>