1 00:00:02,700 --> 00:00:08,180 Hi, I’m Jim Ryan, and I’m delighted to begin today as the 9th president of UVA. 2 00:00:08,180 --> 00:00:10,520 As an alumnus and a former faculty member, 3 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,840 it's a real honor to serve the university I love. 4 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:18,340 As I begin my tenure, I do so with gratitude to Terry Sullivan for her leadership and for 5 00:00:18,340 --> 00:00:21,600 putting the university in such a strong position for the future. 6 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:27,170 As you may have heard, I like questions, and when I was announced as president last September, 7 00:00:27,170 --> 00:00:30,130 I promised I would ask a lot of them. 8 00:00:30,130 --> 00:00:34,570 Consistent with that promise, I would like to start my presidency by posing a few questions 9 00:00:34,570 --> 00:00:40,750 to you about the future of UVA, which is ours to shape—hence the name of this website. 10 00:00:40,750 --> 00:00:45,260 The questions relate to three themes—community, discovery, and service. 11 00:00:45,260 --> 00:00:49,960 I organized the questions around these themes because they are foundational to our university 12 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:54,680 and, not surprisingly, they kept coming up in the numerous conversations I have had with 13 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,539 students, faculty, staff, and alumni since last September. 14 00:00:58,539 --> 00:01:03,500 I've heard stories about the strong sense of community on Grounds and among our alumni, 15 00:01:03,500 --> 00:01:07,160 and the importance of a strong relationship with the communities surrounding UVA. 16 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:12,150 I’ve learned about some of the truly remarkable research under way across the university, 17 00:01:12,150 --> 00:01:15,560 and the importance of supporting and encouraging the discovery of new knowledge. 18 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:20,330 And I’ve been heartened by the enthusiastic support of public service and the idea that 19 00:01:20,330 --> 00:01:23,790 service should be at the core of our mission, as a public institution. 20 00:01:23,790 --> 00:01:28,610 I now would love to hear from you, and I hope you take the time to answer some basic questions 21 00:01:28,610 --> 00:01:33,381 related to how we can strengthen the sense of community on Grounds, among UVA and our 22 00:01:33,381 --> 00:01:35,750 Charlottesville neighbors, and among our alumni. 23 00:01:35,750 --> 00:01:39,430 There are also questions about how we can best promote the discovery of new knowledge 24 00:01:39,430 --> 00:01:43,790 by our faculty and students, and questions about how we can best promote service among 25 00:01:43,790 --> 00:01:47,800 our students and be of real service to the Commonwealth and beyond. 26 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:53,400 The last point about service, is, to me, the real key to understanding the best of our 27 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,070 past and the best course for our future. 28 00:01:56,070 --> 00:02:00,921 I have always thought of UVA as special in the universe of higher education because it 29 00:02:00,921 --> 00:02:03,960 has been mission-driven and outward looking from the very beginning, 30 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:06,960 serving a purpose larger than itself. 31 00:02:06,969 --> 00:02:11,540 The original mission of UVA was to create citizen-leaders in order to strengthen our 32 00:02:11,540 --> 00:02:17,090 fledgling democracy, a noble purpose but one accompanied by a cramped view of who might 33 00:02:17,090 --> 00:02:19,379 qualify as a citizen-leader. 34 00:02:19,380 --> 00:02:22,240 That view has broadened, thankfully, just as UVA’s 35 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,680 doors have opened wider and wider over time. 36 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:29,880 But the commitment to the public good has never wavered, even as our mission has grown 37 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:35,010 to include cutting-edge research and world-class medical care, and our reach has extended well 38 00:02:35,010 --> 00:02:37,690 beyond our national boundaries. 39 00:02:37,690 --> 00:02:42,319 Service to our democracy and beyond remains a key feature of this unique university. 40 00:02:42,319 --> 00:02:47,610 Indeed, I have often thought of UVA as our nation’s public university, not simply because 41 00:02:47,610 --> 00:02:52,810 our founding was so intertwined with the founding of our nation, but because our university—from 42 00:02:52,810 --> 00:02:59,010 the very first days to today—was meant to serve our nation and, now, the world. 43 00:02:59,010 --> 00:03:04,090 In thinking about how we can strengthen our community, promote discovery, and enhance 44 00:03:04,090 --> 00:03:06,940 our commitment to service, my hope is that we do so 45 00:03:06,940 --> 00:03:10,060 with an eye toward our collective impact on the world. 46 00:03:10,060 --> 00:03:13,460 Universities should be a force for good in the world, and UVA is no exception. 47 00:03:13,460 --> 00:03:17,860 It's my hope that our university will be known as the one most determined to 48 00:03:17,860 --> 00:03:22,180 making the world a better place through the preparation of our students to be ethical 49 00:03:22,180 --> 00:03:25,160 leaders; through our research; and through our partnerships 50 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:27,340 with the numerous communities we serve. 51 00:03:27,349 --> 00:03:31,650 I consider it to be a real privilege to be a part of the UVA community again. 52 00:03:31,650 --> 00:03:36,490 But with privilege comes responsibility, the responsibility to create opportunities for 53 00:03:36,490 --> 00:03:40,360 others and to leave the world a bit better than you found it. 54 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:45,460 I look forward to hearing your ideas about how all of us, together, can do just that.