James Bacon

by James A. BaconA new preoccupation of college administrators across the United States is how to give students a sense of \”belonging.\” The concern is understandable. There is increasing awareness that America is experiencing a \”loneliness\” epidemic, as reflected by a 40% rate nationally of anxiety, depression and other diagnosed mental illnesses among college students. […]

CHARLOTTESVILLE—The Jefferson Council, an alumni association devoted to upholding the Jeffersonian legacy at the University of Virginia, has appointed James A. Bacon Jr. as executive director.“The hiring of a full-time director manager is a milestone in the evolution of the Jefferson Council from an all-volunteer group to a professionally staffed organization,” said President Bert Ellis.

The Jefferson Council joins the University of Virginia community in mourning the deaths of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis and D\’Sean Perry in a shooting last night. While knowing that no words can salve the pain of such tragic loss, we extend our condolences to the families of the three young men and pray for a

Hosted by UVa\’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:Here are some other suggestions for the Division of DEI:Tim Scott, U.S. Senator from South CarolinaCandace Owens, author and activistBen Carson, former Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentJohn, McWhorter, authorCondoleeza Rice, former Secretary of StateDeroy Murdock, columnistLarry Elder, talk radio hostWilfred Reilly, authorAllen West, chairman of the

Weekly highlights from our friends at the Alumni Free Speech Alliance:Stanford Alumni Free Speech Group joined AFSA: https://www.stanfordalumnifreespeech.orgAFSA board member Lauren Noble wrote an article about Yale’s free speech codes: https://www.realcleareducation.com/articles/2022/09/28/yale_is_abandoning_its_own_free_speech_codes_110769.htmlThe Jefferson Council board member Ann McLean co-authored the following article in The Federalist, discussing free speech suppression at UVA, W&L, VMI (3 AFSA members) as well as

In a presentation to its Board of Visitors, administrators at George Mason University showed a graph (seen above) comparing the number of employees per student at Virginia\’s six public research universities. GMU shared with Old Dominion University the distinction of having the lowest employee-student ratio of the six. The purpose, of course, was to make

I have deleted a post about the University of Virginia Children\’s Hospital\’s policy on the treatment of transgender children. It had no place here. The Jefferson Council has no policy regarding transgender rights. Our focus is on our four pillars. That was entirely my error as editor of this blog, and I apologize for it.

by James A. BaconLike employers around the country, the University of Virginia is experiencing major staff shortages. The problem is serious enough that it warranted a discussion during last week\’s Board of Visitors meeting.President Jim Ryan attributed the workforce challenges mainly to \”the Great Resignation,\” or the increasing willingness of employees during the wind-down of

The University of Virginia Alumni Association presented an overview to the Board of Visitors last week of its \”Living Honor\” marketing campaign. The initiative, proposed by President Jim Ryan and Rector Whitt Clement, is designed to aid students and alumni in learning about Honor and its role at the University following a student vote last