Through your remarkable gifts, new commitments to the School totaled a record-breaking $46.1 million for our Inspire the Next Century campaign. On the strength of contributions made by more than 3,600 donors, the School’s vital Annual Fund raised a total of $4.3 million in unrestricted funds that will provide essential flexibility for initiatives Schoolwide. The impact is felt every day.

We are actively broadening our reach, especially through unprecedented collaboration across Grounds. An example of this is the newly launched UVA Center for Real Estate and the Built Environment, initiated with a gift of $10 million from Robert M. White Jr. (McIntire ’87). The Center experienced real and rapid growth before our eyes this year, bringing together leading experts in the field to share knowledge with students, faculty, and alumni from many UVA schools and sectors.

The fall semester marked the launch of the Biotechnology Track for the M.S. in Commerce Program, thanks to a generous $5 million gift from The Chris & Carrie Shumway Foundation and a $3.5 million match from the University’s Strategic Investment Fund. Created in partnership with the School of Engineering, the coursework in entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, data analytics, and more, is preparing life sciences students with the requisite business skills to solve complex societal challenges. We’ve also made progress on strategic programmatic additions such as a forthcoming undergraduate Business Minor. While we will actively preserve the size and scope of our hallmark undergraduate program, we know that by increasing access to select elements of our business education, more students on Grounds can benefit from McIntire’s transformational experience at UVA.

Our devoted community has also helped us to reach an important milestone for our Next Century Building Fund. On Sept. 16, 2022, we proudly broke ground on the McIntire Expansion Project, where the Commerce School’s additional facilities will grow to include an all-new Shumway Hall and renovated Cobb Hall. The new spaces will provide a critical hub of learning and community for the entire University.

We were also especially motivated this year through heartening meetings with our alumni and friends in person, at home, and abroad, where we had the chance to hear how you are doing and about your hopes for future generations of Comm School students. Being able to once again meet with you all in cities across the globe has proven particularly rewarding for me, and I look forward to hosting you on Grounds and connecting with you at regional alumni events.

On behalf of the entire School, thank you once again for your extraordinary support and for your unwavering connection to McIntire.

With sincere gratitude,

Nicole Thorne Jenkins
John A. Griffin Dean, McIntire School of Commerce