Core Values

What is Student Affairs?

The Division of Student Affairs at the University of Virginia is comprised of the following units:

• Office of the Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer

• Department of Student Health

  • General Medicine
  • Gynecology
  • Center for Counseling and Psychological Services
  • Student Disability Access Center
  • Office of Health Promotion
  • Gordie Center

• Office of African-American Affairs

• Office of the Dean of Students

  • Housing & Residence Life
  • Orientation and New Student Programs
  • Newcomb Centers and Services
  • Fraternity and Sorority Life
  • Student Activities

• University Career Center

What is Our Purpose?

In summary, the Division of Student Affairs works collaboratively to support the University's primary goal of enriching the minds and lives of all students by promoting programs, services, and interactions that enhance the core values which shape the student experience. Broadly defined, the core values central to the student experience refer to:

Honor

Promoting ethical conduct and decision-making, which encourage integrity and civility.

Academic Rigor

Teaching critical thinking skills and providing opportunities to apply them in and out of the classroom

Self-governance

Collaborating with students and vesting them with ownership in the creation and implementation of/changes to policies and practices, which regulate the community in which they live, while ensuring that basic institutional responsibilities of safety, legality, and fiscal soundness are not compromised. Upholding aspects of personal responsibility including matters of health and wellness, safety and personal conduct.

Public Service

Investing time and effort in activities that are essential to participatory citizenship and that enrich the intellectual and social understanding of students who are engaged in service while also benefiting those who receive the service.

Diversity and Multiculturalism

Ensuring that students are purposefully immersed in experiences that expose them to different perspectives and provide them with an opportunity to learn. This exposure is premised on the concept of respecting and celebrating individual differences, whether these pertain, for example, to a person's race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, economic background, political views, or religious beliefs.

Health and Wellness

Promoting students' physical, mental and emotional well-being.

The Division places a high priority on providing opportunities that specifically relate to the core values which define the student experience, while ensuring that: 1) operationally, it is meeting those specific responsibilities and institutional obligations with which it is vested; and 2) available resources are being used as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Who Do We Serve?

In achieving its purpose, the Division aims to offer opportunities to all student populations—undergraduates (including transfer students) and graduates—recognizing that students' needs vary by year and that services that effectively work for one sub-population (e.g., first-years) may not meet the needs of others. As such, the Division seeks to align its resources in ways that specifically meet students' identified needs.