C/O Southwest Virginia Technology Development Center
P.O. Box 2556
141 Highland Drive
Lebanon, Virginia 24266
Shannon R. Blevins
Phone: 276-889-8184
Email: sblevins@uvawise.edu
www.uvawise.edu

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ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA’S COLLEGE AT WISE

The University of Virginia’s College at Wise is the only branch campus of the University of Virginia. UVa was a lifelong dream of Thomas Jefferson, and UVa-Wise is a later manifestation of his vision. Founded in 1954 by citizens of Wise, the College brought to fruition the dream of a fine college in far southwestern Virginia.

UVa-Wise provides a rich liberal arts education, as well as outstanding preparation in the professions of nursing, business, teaching, and software engineering.  UVa-Wise students value our emphasis on integrity, leadership, and service, while developing the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their chosen careers or in graduate or professional schools.

The value of a UVa-Wise degree is proven by our graduates, who go on to excel in fields as diverse as chemistry, business, and software engineering; who develop careers as lawyers, physicians, and artists; and who contribute their energy and expertise to the community and the world.  These graduates began as UVa-Wise students contemplating the College’s rich possibilities, including 29 majors, 29 minors, 7 pre-professional programs and 23 teaching licensures. And with a student-faculty ratio of 17:1 and 86% of classes taught by full-time faculty members, UVa-Wise’s commitment to undergraduate teaching and learning is evident.

RANKING

• UVa-Wise is included in the national, liberal arts college rankings in “U.S. News & World Report.” Only 27 public institutions make the national list, and of those, UVa-Wise is in the top ten.
• UVa-Wise repeatedly ranks first among liberal arts colleges whose students graduate with the least amount of debt.  This ranking is attributed to the College’s robust financial aid program, including an endowment of $40 million, primarily for scholarships.
• UVa-Wise is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, a selective, national organization.
• The College is recognized as of one of the nation’s 200 “Colleges of Distinction,” a designation which signifies engaged students, great teaching, a vibrant community, and successful outcomes.
  

• UVa-Wise has the only undergraduate software engineering program in Virginia.
• UVa-Wise accounting students won the Goodman Accounting Challenge in fall 2006, besting accounting teams from several major universities.
• The Goodman & Company Fellowship was introduced at UVa-Wise in 2008. The fellowship program encourages, supports and promotes development of exception accounting majors at the College. The 2008-2009 Goodman & Company Fellow was Suzanne Stickel.
• The UVa-Wise faculty continues to excel.  For example, Garret Sheldon was recently invited to teach at Oxford University and the University of Vienna; Jennifer Wilson was named the William C. Lowry Teacher of the Year at the college level by the Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics; and George Michael’s work on political extremism appeared in the “Chronicle Review,” released by “The Chronicle of Higher Education,” the eminent publication for higher education.
• The UVa-Wise Residence Hall Association is consistently awarded for its excellence in residence life. In 2007, UVa-Wise became the first institution in history to win every award at the annual Virginia Association of College and University Residence Halls (VACURH) Conference. As of 2008, UVa-Wise has been named School of the Year for four consecutive years and has won the award for Program of the Year for five consecutive years.

UVa-Wise prides itself as a teaching institution, where the undergraduate experience is paramount. However, the College employs professors who are committed to the creation of new knowledge, which enhances students’ classroom experience. UVa-Wise professors publish books and textbooks, they present at national and international conferences, and they publish research in peer-reviewed journals. Faculty and student research is an integral part of the undergraduate experience. For example, FINS (Fellowship in Natural Science) students receive generous stipends to undertake summer research under the mentorship of our science faculty.

UNDERGRAUTE ENROLLMENT
2,015 (2009-2010)

SATELLITE CAMPUSES:
Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
Southwest Virginia Technology Development Center

NUMBER OF DEGREES CONFERRED (2009-2010):
Bachelor's: 211

SELECTED DEGREES OFFERED: