News - Page 4 of 13 - The Jefferson Trust

August 9, 2022August 15, 2022

Ideas Against the Shot Clock

The Jefferson Trust was formed because there was a need for unrestricted funds to support new projects and programs. That need has existed since the University’s founding, and it still exists today. The wide menu of fundraising priorities and the time upper administration devotes to fundraising would indicate the truth of that statement.

With all this time spent on fulfilling ‘the need,’ how does a fundraiser know if the idea they’re pitching resonates with donors? A single ‘yes’ can do it, but it would take several instances of ‘no’ to realize a change needs to be made. Time-constrained campaigns put a shot clock on moving the idea forward, and a year or two of hearing ‘no’ is too long.

In January 2022, Risa Goluboff, Dean of the UVA School of Law, pitched her vision to the Trustees and quickly received her ‘yes.’ The Roadmap Scholars Initiative is a two-year program designed to expose college juniors and seniors to the law, law school and the legal profession, and to help them become competitive applicants to the nation’s top law schools.

The Trustees loved the idea and granted $200,000 in seed funding to help start the program. Not only did this grant help jump-start the program, but the full board, which includes seven Law School alumni, are also strong supporters and advocates for the initiative’s growth.

This same jump-start effect can be even more helpful for a new dean, director or vice president. There’s a lot of pressure on new administrators to simultaneously thank the donors who have given previously, while pivoting to new priorities, and doing so within the campaign timeline.

Nicole Thorne Jenkins, the John A. Griffin Dean of the McIntire School of Commerce, saw the Trust’s value early on and proposed the Side Hustle program. The program — designed to be taken anywhere, anytime — offers one-half-credit classes that deliver modern business content and skills to students who may be interested in starting a new business, growing a network, honing a brand, or learning how ‘Name, Image, and Likeness’ works for college athletes.

This grant will provide seed funding and proof of concept programming and help the school better showcase the dean’s vision.

These examples have both been on the ‘yes’ side, what happens when the Trust says ‘no’? It can still be a positive. A ‘no’ from the Trust gives the grant seeker a chance to revise the pitch, revise the project, or go back to the drawing board.

The Trust grant-making process is a positive opportunity to move an idea forward faster. It yields great ideas and great outcomes that advance UVA.

August 9, 2022August 9, 2022

New Owners of a Historic Home

Aerial view of Lewis Mountain House

While on Grounds, you may have looked to the west and seen a hill-top house reminiscent of Monticello. But isn’t Monticello east of Grounds? Yes, it is.

What you have seen is the Lewis Mountain House, also known as Onteora. Built in 1909, it is on the National Register of Historic Places and its 42 acres were originally landscape-designed by the renowned Warren H. Manning.

The home was recently acquired by Jefferson Trust Trustees Adrienne and Keith Woodard (Parent ’08). We asked Adrienne and Keith about the property and their plans for its future.

What led you to purchase the property?

We saw this as an opportunity to rescue a Charlottesville icon and to transform it from a neglected, mysterious place into a spectacular destination that more people would be able to use and enjoy. Our goal is to preserve the historic character of the property, revitalize the landscaping, and make it more accessible, usable, and enjoyable.

How will you use it?

Initially, it will be used for our own use as we strive to get the house and grounds into respectable condition. In addition to the main house, there is a guest house, and the original carriage house which we plan to rent for this upcoming school year. We are exploring with the county how we can make the main house and the almost 43-acre property, described in 1965 as a mountaintop park, more usable and purposeful. We have met with UVA architects and will be researching the property more to get a better understanding of its past and its potential for the future.

When will you receive your first guests/ customers?

Our youngest daughter, Anna-Marie (Col ’08), was recently married here in Charlottesville. We managed to clear out enough rooms, repaint and clean them to have family guests stay in 8 of the 11 bedrooms in the main house. During most of July we are staying here along with hosting 5 guest artists, who are in the summer performances of The Charlottesville Opera.

What interesting feature can you share about the house?

There are numerous interesting features in the house: huge pocket doors, multiple light sconces in every room, 14-foot-high ceilings, huge marble fireplace mantles, original silk wall coverings, original chandeliers and more. Of course, what stands out most are the views in every direction — from the very visible four-columned portico looking east towards UVA and Monticello, looking south from the original pool area towards Nelson County, from the ‘front’ entrance looking west towards Birdwood and the Blue Ridge Mountains, and from the north portico toward the airport and the Southwest Mountains. We were able to see Fourth of July fireworks in every direction!

The Lewis Mountain House is a gem right in the heart of UVA, Charlottesville and Albemarle County and we look forward to seeing what the next chapter holds in its long history.

April 20, 2022April 20, 2022

Jefferson Trust awards $98,000 in Flash Funding grants

The Jefferson Trust has awarded just over $98,000 across sixteen Flash Funding grants since January. “The flash funding proposals received this spring were fascinating. It’s impressive to see so many students and faculty at UVA focused on making an already great institution even better,” shares Amy Bonner, Director of Grants for the Trust.

Half of the sixteen flash awards were made to students or student groups focused on improving the UVA experience: an art contest in the chemistry building, mapping the health system and several film projects. Another group of flash grants involve partnerships with community groups — the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe, local Emergency Services and even hikers on North Grounds.

Different than the Jefferson Trust’s Annual Cycle grants, Flash Funding grants are capped at $10,000 per project and are awarded monthly beginning in January.

The 2022 Flash Funding grants:

Accesibilizing UVA Health: A Navigational Experience: $7,480

A student-led initiative of the Health Sciences Library, this project aims to create an accurate virtual map of the UVA Health System. The app will provide step-by-step walking instructions to promote patient independence and familiarity with the hospital. This work will also create the foundation for streamlined processes to expand both outpatient clinics as well as other University buildings.

STEM-Themed Art Contest for Chemistry Building: $2,500

This art contest will blend art and science by bringing student and faculty produced art to the walls of the chemistry building.

“One Size Fits All” Short Film and Impact Campaign: $7,834

Funding supports a short film exploring satirical commentary on body image, social media and how companies manipulate us. In addition to the film, an interactive website will be created to provide a meeting place for viewers to think, talk and organize change.

From Chaos to Chaos: Documenting Afghan Women: $10,000

This project will include a film amplifying and sharing the stories of Afghan women in the UVA community and pilot a support and wellness program.

Charlottesville Analog Film Festival: $5,320

This student-led project will create a series of short analog films, which will premiere at an open-community film festival in Charlottesville in fall 2022. The project will involve community partners Visible Records and Light House Studios.

The Historical Landscape of North Grounds: $6,735

The UVA Law Library is creating and installing interpretive panels along the Rivanna Trail in UVA’s North Grounds to inform and bring awareness of the people — free and enslaved — who lived and labored on this UVA property.

Upper Mattaponi Land Use Study: $10,000

A collaboration between UVA’s Native & Indigenous Relations Community (NIRC), the School of Architecture and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe (UMIT), this project was developed in response to efforts at UVA to build and improve relations with Native nations across Virginia. A team of faculty, staff and students will work with the tribe to assess their needs and desires for development and provide UMIT with a professional study and land use report to guide their efforts.

Developing Future Leaders in Autism Healthcare Through Emergency Medical Training: $9,973

This project aims to develop and distribute evidenced-based, community-informed Autism Response Protocol (ARP) to EMTs across Virginia through various trainings. Creating hands-on opportunities for students to learn about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will fill a major gap in current curricula and facilitate their future leadership in medicine.

Large Format 3D Printer: $1,000

This student-led experiential project aims to explore how 3D printing can be scaled from small desktop machines to large desk-sized machines while maintaining accuracy and precision.

Zora’s Daughters Choosing Brilliance Lecture: $1,000

Zora’s Daughters is a popular podcast focusing on contemporary issues from a Black feminist lens using anthropological concepts and key texts. Students interviewed Zora’s Daughters creators about their production process, as well as the cogency of anthropological thought in public discourse.

Tangential Timber: Non-Linear Wood Masonry: $7,000

This project seeks to demonstrate an application for irregular waste timber by developing a digital fabrication workflow to process cross sectional slices of logs (“cookies”) into structural blocks. The project will culminate in a physical prototype installation demonstrating the novel construction and material strategies developed.

Darden African Business Conference: $7,000

Funding supports a conference focused on “Emerging Trends in Africa’s Creative Economy.” Conference attendees will improve their knowledge of the interplay between Africa’s economic development and its creative sector, gain an awareness of the difference in various African countries, and increase the number of African business cases studied in Darden classrooms.

Taste of Home Open Fair: $752

Two chefs from diverse, underrepresented backgrounds will cook meals that UVA community members can enjoy at the Taste of Home multicultural fair, which introduces unique cultures through ethnic cuisine.

3D Scanning at the Visual Resources Center: $8,660

Funding will purchase a 3D scanner for the Visual Resources Center at the Art Department, which is a hub of 3D modeling, printing and other digital creative services for students, faculty and staff.

History of Law Enforcement with an emphasis on UPD: $2,800

Bringing UVA students, faculty and citizens of Charlottesville together, the University Police Department (UPD) will host and participate in a panel discussion and workshop to discuss African American and Monacan Tribal Nation relationships around the history of law enforcement while promoting and fostering healing to both law enforcement and citizens.

Psychology School Outreach Days: $9,962.74

Eighth graders from across central Virginia will come to UVA for a day of hands-on learning to explore psychology and brain science.

April 19, 2022May 2, 2022

More than the Money

Grant project directors discuss their experiences and learnings, as a part of the ‘Promoting Your Project’ panel, from the Grantee Summit.

Every grant has a dollar sign, but each is much more than a funding allocation. It is a promise from the grantees to make their dream a reality. For the Trust, it is a promise to support the grant and maximize its outcomes. Trust grants are not a sink-or-swim scenario; they’re a partnership in reaching a common goal.

One of the best and longest lasting ways the Trust has provided additional support is through the Trustee Liaison Program. This program pairs a Trustee with a grant to provide whatever help is needed; from problem solving to promoting successes. It is a great way to build a community of innovation.

On April 29, we hosted our first Grantee Summit, bringing grant directors and Trustees together for roundtables, panel discussions, and networking opportunities around scaling, promoting, pitching, and funding project and program growth. By all accounts, the event was a success, and we look forward to expanding it in the future to include more members of the UVA Community.

“Finding funding, drafting a press release, working with community partners. These are universal topics, and if we can help more members of the University be more successful in their work, we’re doing the right thing,” said Brent Percival, Executive Director of the Jefferson Trust.

Finally, we saw during the pandemic how important it is to ‘check in’ and in the COVID time-warp, a year could feel like an eternity. The Trust’s Outcomes Committee has developed a simple quarterly update form that grantees can use to deliver feedback, voice an issue, or share a success story. This more regular dialogue will help keep grantees connected and show that we are with them in this journey.

We are confident every grant will be successful but if there are tips and tools, we can provide to make them even better, we are all in.

March 24, 2022March 24, 2022

Upcoming Grant Project Events

The Holsinger Portrait Project pop-up exhibition is at the Northside Library through March 31. The New Negro in Charlottesville and Albemarle: Portraits from a Century Ago: Pop-Up Portrait Exhibition features portraits of local African Americans, commissioned from R.W. Holsinger’s photo studio, during the first decades of the twentieth century.

March 31: Infectious Disease in 3D is hosting their Spring Virtual Reality Symposium! The ID in 3D team will share sneak peaks of their virtual animation, which highlights virtual reality’s applications for medical education.

April 1-2: The Darden African Business Organization is hosting ‘Emerging Trends in Africa’s Creative Economy’ Conference. The conference aims to provide attendees with a better understanding of the interplay between Africa’s economic development and its creative sector, and to better understand the differences in various African countries.

Girls Maker Camp promo

April 3: Girls Maker Day for local middle school girls! Hosted by the Women’s Maker Program, from the Robertson Media Center, the camp focuses on hands-on creative activities, allowing participants to learn about cutting-edge makerspace technologies.

April 22: “Price it Like a Pro with Paddy Johnson!” StARTup Studio’s panel discussion focuses on the steps of pricing your artwork appropriately, so creative artists can confidently sell for any context.

May 31: “2020: Extraordinary Moments” is looking for the positive; creating a documentary, magazine, and showcase exhibition to highlight meaningful moments from the UVA community, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Submit your work by May 31, 2022. The work will be exhibited at the 2020: Extraordinary Moments showcase in fall 2022.

Puglia Neurodevelopment Lab is enrolling 0-12-month-old premature babies to participate in a research study. The goal of the study: to develop new universal screening protocols for social processing disorders. If you’re interested in participating and have questions, contact: pugliadevneurolab@virginia.edu.

February 10, 2022February 10, 2022

An Apple a Day…

There are many adages about health, such as “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” or “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” One health truism that we all know to be absolute is “it’s important.”

That is certainly the case at UVA, where the UVA Medical Center accounts for just under half of the University’s $3.99 billion budget. Beyond the numbers, health is interwoven into life and academics across Grounds. Medical school students can dual-enroll at Darden to complete an MD/MBA. Batten and the Cooper Center conduct research in policy and populations that have huge impacts in healthcare. Undergraduates in Biomedical Engineering can have hands-on research experience in developing new technologies. And that’s not even beginning to mention the host of student health services the University offers.

With health being so important, it’s only natural that some of the best ideas we see are to improve health. The Jefferson Trust has recently funded many interesting projects in the field including autism biomarker research, design thinking for medical students, pediatric mental health, and personal protection against air pollution.

It often takes a trained eye to read proposals for projects like these and understand the process and impact.

Fortunately, the Trust has four physicians and two nurses on the board:

Victoria Davis Chen, MD (Col ’92)
Stephen Chen, MD
Ramesh Singh, MD (Res ’07)
Susan Singh (Nurs ’05)
John Sperling, MD (Col ’90, Med ’94)
Pat Woodard (Nurs ’69)

Here are some thoughts they have on healthcare and the Trust’s role in advancing ideas.

John Sperling, MD (Col ’90, Med ’94)

Healthcare is going through enormous changes that have only been accelerated by the recent pandemic. The Jefferson Trust is ideally situated to help support creative and innovative ideas to impact healthcare not only in Charlottesville but also on a larger scale. We would encourage members of the University community to send their proposals for funding to the Jefferson Trust. Not only is the Jefferson Trust an excellent source for funding, but also has the support of Trustees with significant healthcare experience who can help mentor members of the community that would like to make an impact in healthcare.

Victoria Davis Chen, MD (Col ’92)

Improvements in healthcare are seldom made with one large discovery, but instead a series of smaller discoveries. The medical community relies on published, peer reviewed data upon which to build. In the Trust, we have an opportunity to watch an idea that excites us influence other bright minds. Granting this to a member of our UVA community is much further reaching than the original project being presented.

Pat Woodard (Nurs ’69)

I am always so pleased when The Trust receives health-related grant proposals. As we are living through a pandemic, we are especially reminded of the need for good research in nursing, medicine, public health and related fields. Also, projects that aim to improve nursing and medical education have great impact.