Building the Strongest Bond
Learn more about the mission and values that guide the work the Alumni Association does to serve and celebrate our Hoos and Hoos-at-heart.
Our Mission
To build the strongest bond among alumni and between alumni and the University of Virginia while representing the independent voice and perspectives of alumni.
Our Vision
Build the strongest bond among alumni and between alumni and the University by…
- Becoming the center for engaging and connecting alumni to the University and the global UVA community
- Serving as an indispensable conduit to keep our alumni informed and provide alumni with vehicles to share their voice
- Being an invaluable partner to the University
…powered by an agile and collaborative team.
Our Values
In achieving our mission, we are committed to the following core values:
Integrity: Conducting ourselves ethically and with honor.
We act in good faith and do so in all our dealings — with students, with alumni, with the University community and within our workplace. Maintaining our integrity requires keeping alumni interests first in all that we do and maintaining our self-governance so that, true to our mission, we can represent the voices of alumni.
Inclusion: Fostering a sense of belonging.
We value the greater strength and wisdom that come from diversity. We commit to truth telling and to authentically sharing stories that our society, University and own organization have historically omitted. This principle inspires us to encourage diversity, equity and inclusion within the University, within the alumni base and within the ranks of the Association’s governance, leadership and workforce.
Connection: Building community.
We bring people together. We foster goodwill, fellowship and collaboration. That is true in the context of our work with students and alumni, facilitating connection between them and with their alma mater. It also holds true in our workplace — working as a team, sharing expertise across disciplines and supporting one another as colleagues and friends across Grounds.
Innovation: Inspiring a bias toward action.
As an organization only slightly younger than the University, we represent continuity from the founding to the future. We celebrate traditions, but we don’t let tradition circumscribe us. We challenge assumptions and seek smarter ways to achieve our mission. Through innovation, we anticipate the needs of a growing and ever-changing alumni population amid the increasing complexities of higher education.
Service: Providing lifelong support.
We exist to serve. Service takes countless forms, from helping students and alumni throughout their adult lives, to helping the University achieve its best, to supporting our family of coworkers. It can be as simple as listening, being genuinely responsive and following through on commitments large and small. Ultimately, it means always taking the extra step and extending the hand of human kindness toward everyone we serve.
History
Formed on July 4, 1838, the Alumni Association of the University of Virginia was the sixth such group organized in the United States. A charter was granted to the Society of the Alumni of the University of Virginia, as it was then known, in 1873. The name was changed by legislative action to “General Alumni Association of the University of Virginia” in 1903, and then amended to its current name in 1922.
The association was originally housed in Pavilion VII on the Lawn of the Academical Village. In 1936 it moved to its current location, the Kappa Phi House on Emmet Street.