Message to All Faculty, August 2026

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Welcome back, or for those of you who never really left, welcome to the new semester. The Grounds are bustling with the energy and excitement of a new academic year. I hope you had some measure of rest and renewal over the summer, even as many of you continued teaching, writing, running labs, and caring for patients. A special welcome to those of you who have just joined the University: it was a pleasure to meet so many of you during the recent New Faculty Orientation.

Last fall, I began sending occasional updates to the faculty. I’ve heard from many of you that you appreciate these notes, so I am continuing the practice. Today, I have updates related to faculty networking, AI initiatives, the arts, research, federal policy developments, and leadership transitions, as well as a reminder to provide input into the University’s next strategic plan.

Faculty Connections

In partnership with the Faculty Affairs team in the Provost’s Office, the Faculty Life Committee of the Faculty Senate has created new channels for faculty members to connect with each other. Visit the new Faculty Connections site (behind Netbadge) to sign up for one of numerous listservs bringing together faculty colleagues who share professional or personal interests and are seeking to build community. The Center for Faculty Wellbeing and Development is working on plans for a faculty social hour at the Colonnade Club in September. Sign up for their newsletter to get information about the Center’s programs.

Artificial Intelligence

The impact of generative artificial intelligence on our academic mission has been a recurrent theme in these messages, and I have several updates to share today. In June and July, hundreds of faculty members from across the University took part in AI upskilling workshops led by colleagues, building their AI fluency and thinking through the possibilities and implications of rapid advances in AI technology and broadened access to tools.

The 2026-27 cohort of Faculty AI Guides will explore the theme Advancing Student Learning in the Age of AI. The Guides serve as resources for colleagues navigating the impact of generative AI on their teaching, and each Guide will provide workshops or other opportunities for their colleagues to learn about AI and pedagogy. This is year three of the program, which is designed to empower faculty to make well-informed decisions about the use of AI in their classes.

We recently selected 21 faculty members as the second cohort of AI Catalyst fellows. The fellows meet throughout the year and receive seed funding for a research project in an AI area new to them, a year of structured AI training, and coaching from AI experts. Congratulations to the newest fellows, who represent 10 schools and a broad range of disciplines.

UVA health and life sciences research teams have another opportunity to compete for support and funding through the new AI Launch program. Research teams will develop ways to use agentic AI systems to augment and automate key parts of the scientific research process. Letters of Interest are due September 29th.

The recently approved state budget provides planning support for the Commonwealth AI Institute, a state-wide initiative spearheaded by UVA that will bring together higher education, industry, and government to collaborate on research, workforce training, entrepreneurship, and responsible AI. Eight Virginia public universities and the Virginia Community College System are already participating, with outreach underway to other Virginia institutions, state agencies, and companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. The group has submitted a $3 million NSF proposal for a statewide AI hub and is preparing a second proposal.

McIntire Professor Ryan Wright is helping to coordinate and advance some of our AI work and is now serving as Special Advisor to the Provost on AI. Ryan was a driving force behind this summer’s AI workshops for faculty and was part of the team that developed the McIntire AI for Academic Excellence student toolkit. He is co-leading the AI Research @ UVA initiative, and I recently asked him to co-chair the AI in Teaching and Learning Committee to more closely connect these efforts. I’m grateful to Ryan for taking on this role.

Center for the Arts

I am thrilled to share that in June, the Virginia General Assembly approved construction funding for the Center for the Arts, an interdisciplinary hub for the arts to be built in the Emmet-Ivy corridor, adjacent to the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds. It will include the Richard and Tessa Ader Performing Arts Center, with a 1,200-seat performance hall that will showcase national and international touring artists, as well as a 150-seat recital venue. The Center for the Arts will also house the Department of Music, the Dance program, the Fralin Museum of Art, and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection. The Center will strengthen the arts at UVA and be a destination for the arts in Central Virginia, serving the region and the Commonwealth. Construction is expected to begin in 2027.

Research News

I joined researchers from all corners of UVA at the annual pan-University research retreat on August 12. Vice President for Research Lori McMahon presented on the state of UVA Research, and the framing she offered was illuminating: this has been a challenging year for research nationally, but UVA's own trajectory gives real reason for optimism.

The numbers bear that out. Over the past decade, UVA's sponsored research funding has grown more than 80 percent, increasing from $325.3 million (FY16) to $588.2 million (FY26). This past year alone, our faculty generated $2.89 billion in research proposal activity and produced more than 10,000 publications, and UVA's total research and development expenditures climbed to $896 million. That growth is especially remarkable considering recent shifts in the landscape of federal research funding, which represents roughly three-quarters of our sponsored research.

Some of that resilience comes from the ways we have fostered interdisciplinary collaboration at UVA. The 15 faculty-led Research Hubs launched in early 2026 are bringing faculty together across traditional departmental lines. These hubs span seven schools and are organized around areas like AI, quantum, energy systems, and health policy. The 3 Cavaliers seed funding program, which supports early-stage projects led by faculty from at least two different schools, has now invested more than $6 million across 125 projects and helped generate more than $20 million in follow-on grant funding. And our humanities, arts, and social sciences faculty continue to post remarkable results by any national measure — 12 departments rank above the 80th percentile nationally on scholarly productivity, and in the last two years alone, 25 faculty have won major fellowships, including four Guggenheims in 2026.

The strength and vibrancy of our research enterprise reflect our faculty’s talent and strategic thinking, as well as your dedication and resolve in challenging times. Thank you.

Federal Policy Changes

We continue to carefully monitor and adapt to federal policy changes that affect research funding, loans for graduate and professional students, our international students and scholars, and other matters. These developments sometimes occur quickly, and my office works with colleagues across the University on our institutional response. The International Students and Scholars Program (ISSP) staff is available to consult with members of UVA’s international student and scholar community who are seeking guidance about how federal policy changes may affect them personally. More than 500 people recently participated in one of ISSP’s virtual town hall events. Questions regarding the impact of immigration regulations on our international faculty and staff should be directed to Immigration Services in Human Resources. I encourage you to bookmark federalinfo.virginia.edu, which contains FAQs about a range of federal policy issues. We will continue to update these as developments occur.

Other Useful Links to Bookmark

• Emergency Alert Response Guidance for Faculty and Instructors
• UVA Research
• Free Speech at UVA
• Academic Freedom at UVA
• Center for Teaching Excellence
• Center for Faculty Wellbeing and Development
• Academic Calendar
• UVA Digital Accessibility Resources
• UVA EOCR - Student Religious Accommodations
• AI @ UVA

Leadership Transitions

We had several leadership changes across our schools over the summer:

• • Yael Grushka-Cockayne began her tenure as the 10th dean of the Darden School of Business. Yael has been a member of the Darden faculty since 2009 and most recently served as vice dean.
  • Eileen Chou stepped in as interim dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, succeeding Ian Solomon. Eileen previously served as Batten's associate dean for academic affairs.
  • Jeanne Alhusen stepped in as interim dean of the School of Nursing, succeeding Marianne Baernholdt. Jeanne previously served as the School's associate dean for research.

Please join me in welcoming Yael to her new role and thanking Eileen and Jeanne for stepping in to lead their schools.

Next Strategic Plan

The development of the University’s next strategic plan is underway, and it’s important that faculty voices are well represented in shaping that vision. So far, more than 9,000 people have responded to the survey launched in July. The survey will close on August 30th, and I encourage you to take a few minutes to respond if you have not already done so. More opportunities to share your thoughts with the strategic planning committee will be announced soon. Your perspective on where the University should focus its energy and resources in the years ahead is essential to charting a thoughtful course for our future.

I am deeply grateful, as always, for all you contribute to the work and life of the University. I wish you the best as the semester gets underway.

Best,