Tuesday, November 11, 2008

University of Virginia

Frequent contributor Jackie Wiersma, now doing a postdoctoral fellowship at Penn State, traveled recently to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, from which she's sent some pictures.

I've been to UVa a couple times, years ago. My brother Steve went there and my family visited with him during his first year and also attended his graduation. My department chairperson at Texas Tech, Anisa Zvonkovic, also attended UVa for her undergraduate education.

Virginia is one of the nation's most storied universities, having been founded by Thomas Jefferson. So to all you Cavaliers out there, "Wahoowa!" Let's get to Jackie's photos...


Shown first is the Rotunda, a structure so prominent it has its own Wikipedia page. According to that page, "The Rotunda is the symbolic head of The Lawn and the University of Virginia. The Academical Village of which it is a part is one of only four man-made sites in the United States to be named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (along with the Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall, and Pueblo de Taos)." It was apparently a cold, gray day when Jackie went to UVa, as a result of which the white dome of the Rotunda is obscured.


The aforementioned Lawn is shown next. Perhaps the most prestigious honor on campus for academic success is for students to be allowed to live in the housing units forming the perimeter of the Lawn (a close-up of the residential area is inserted in the lower-left corner).

We leave you with three more buildings: the Student Union (Newcomb Hall), a free-speech-type area, and the Old Medical School.