The sheer degree to which the proprietors planned the layout of Grounds is absolutely fascinating. The layout as initially designed by Jefferson and proposed within this document was (and remains) incredibly unconventional for the layout of a college campus. Although we have since expanded well beyond Jefferson's "academical village," it's amazing to see how thoroughly detailed it is here in the Rockfish Gap Report and how it remains the most idyllic centerpiece of Grounds 200 years later.

It's fascinating to consider the fact that UVA could have ended up in any number of other towns/cities. When I think of UVA today, I cannot separate it from the city of Charlottesville. The city and the University tend to feed off each other's energy and unique cultural undercurrents in order to make each what it is. I cannot help but wonder how incredibly different UVA would be if it were to be located in, say, Lexington instead of Charlottesville. Similarly, I wonder how very different the city of Charlottesville would be as well.

Here at UVA, we don't have freshmen and sophomores, we have "first years" and "second years." Our school uses these terms because Jefferson saw learning as a truly lifelong practice, one which would continue well beyond one's years in college or even in graduate school. To Jefferson, there was no such thing as a "senior" year of education, it was continuous. The degree to which the Commissioners focused on education as it extended both before (particularly in the case of this quote) and after a student's time at the University struck me as I considered how this philosophy continues to exist as a core pillar of this University.

Thomas Jefferson once remarked that “nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme delight" and his mindset and affinity for the sciences is clearly spelled out when we consider the "branches of learning" the University initially intended to teach. Fields of scientific pursuit that lack much popularity or attention in today's significantly more scientifically advanced world, such as acoustics and pneumatics, were considered important enough to have been given their own fields and focus at the very start of the University. This seems in every way in line with Jefferson's immense passion for the sciences and his strong belief in their ultimate importance and value in a successful society.