Here’s What’s Happening on Founder’s Day

University News

Here’s What’s Happening on Founder’s Day

April 13, 2023 • By Mike Mather, mike.mather@virginia.edu Mike Mather, mike.mather@virginia.edu

The Thomas Jefferson statue outside of the Rotunda

The anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s birth is recognized as Founder’s Day at the University of Virginia. (Photo by Dan Addison, University Communications)

Today, the University of Virginia will celebrate Founder’s Day, an annual event commemorating Thomas Jefferson’s birth on April 13, 1743.

Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States, founded the University in 1819.

The marquee event is the awarding of Thomas Jefferson Medals to a variety of luminaries who uphold values Jefferson admired. The awards are given for achievements in architecture, law, and citizen leadership. The medals will be presented during a luncheon today in the Rotunda Dome Room.

The recipients will also deliver individual remarks at Founder’s Day events:

Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter who won the Jefferson Medal for Citizen Leadership, will be the keynote speaker at Monticello at 10 a.m. on Monticello’s West Lawn.
The Jefferson Medal in Architecture winner, Andrew Freear, will speak at 4 p.m. in Old Cabell Hall.
The Jefferson Medal in Law honorees, Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju, will be unable to speak this year because of a change in the court date for a case they are arguing in the Supreme Court of India. Their recorded remarks will be featured at the luncheon.

Founder’s Day traditionally features a tree planting on Grounds to honor an influential member of the University community. This year’s planting is postponed to April 25 at 10 a.m. to accommodate the schedule of recipient Pamela Woodie Higgins, a decades-long mastermind of gatherings on Grounds as director of the Office of Major Events. Higgins retired in January.