The values of our School of Architecture are expressed through our life as a community of students, faculty, and staff. In our teaching, research, and community service, we strive to design, preserve and plan just, sustainable, beautiful, and vibrant communities embodying the values of a democratic society. We also explore and document the richness and depth of the world’s architectural heritage. We value formal design and the power of architectural spaces to move us profoundly. We believe such formal design must be informed and transformed by ethical understanding, for design, in essence, is the giving of form to values. Our academic pursuits are cross disciplinary, not only among our four disciplines – architecture, architectural history, landscape architecture, and urban and environmental planning – but with other disciplines within the University and beyond. Our students and faculty work together on research and creative practice, enriching our teaching mission to educate professionals and historians to be leaders in their disciplines. We encourage a rich and diverse academic environment whose members represent a wide variety of life experiences and ideas. Our students participate in major decisions affecting our School and provide valuable assistance in our courses and community service. Our highly professional dedicated staff work closely with students and faculty to strengthen our community and pursue its mission. Our alumni maintain close ties with our School and generously contribute their time, counsel, and resources. We strive to make all decisions by our leadership as transparent as possible, and we value collegiality, kindness, respect, and fairness in our dealings with one another. The range of our interests and community service extends from the local to the global, from the neighborhoods of Charlottesville to the tsunami victims of the South Pacific.