Earlier this week, University officials released a report proposing new academic directions for the University. The report, "The University's Strategies for the Future of the University of Virginia," takes students' concerns, such as environmental sustainability, into consideration.
After the release of an initial report last semester, the Commission for the Future of the University received several critiques from faculty and student organizations, according to Justin Thompson, assistant provost for academic planning and development.
"The Faculty Senate, including Chair Ricardo Padron, recommended several changes both in the form and content," Thompson said, adding that the commission also worked with members from Student Council's Environmental Sustainability Committee and Committee on Curriculum Internationalization to incorporate their ideas into the report.
According to Ben Chrisinger, chair of the Environmental Sustainability Committee, Environmental Sustainability Committee members and administrators emphasized the importance of sustainability to the student experience at the University.
"We wanted to bring in the central concept of the importance of environmental sustainability to the U.Va. experience and how it influences the values a student comes away with after four years at the University," Chrisinger said.
Chrisinger added that after issuing a response to the commission's initial report, his committee was able to work with administrators to incorporate wording and phrasing to include these ideas in the report.
Thompson said the updated version of the report also attempted to "capture the spirit of curriculum internationalization."
Ryan McElveen, chair of the Committee on Curriculum Internationalization, said although he was "thrilled that the commission adopted some of the StudCo sustainability report's suggestions," he did not see many ideas incorporating curriculum internationalization.
Though members of the two student committees recognize the advances made in their collaboration with the administration, according to McElveen, there is still room for improvement.
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