Faculty Office Building
A New Home for Innovation for the World’s Best Faculty
Transforming the Faculty Office Building
Darden is embarking on a visionary project to redesign, renovate, and modernize the Faculty Office Building in Charlottesville, which has remained unchanged since it was first built in the 1990s. The revamped space will become a hub for collaboration, student interaction, and excellence. The building will foster innovation, community, and a strong connection to Darden's commitment to excellence and student-centricity.
Investing in Our Faculty
Since 2015, Darden has welcomed 65 exceptional faculty members with strong research and teaching records. Our faculty body has grown from 70 to 99; half are international, and over 40% are women. Darden’s faculty was rated #1 by The Princeton Review (2017–22, 2024) and The Economist (2017–22). Darden faculty view business not as a theory but as a continuously evolving practice. They focus on the practitioner and take an "enterprise view" of business as holistic, with all areas working together.
Unconstrained by academic silos, faculty teams design and co-teach courses to show how areas like strategy, accounting, and marketing work together. The faculty infuses the pedagogy—whether for a degree program or a short course—with new ideas, cases, and research so that learners not only interact with the latest ideas but also learn how to learn, preparing them to stay at the leading edge in an evolving world.
114 faculty offices
17 AO staff offices
131 total desks
129 faculty offices
20 staff offices
18 emeriti & visiting workstations
167 total desks
25% increase in capacity
Enhancing the Faculty Experience
This unique pedagogy requires spaces that promote both quiet work and collaboration. The current Faculty Office Building lacks modern amenities, natural light, and collaborative spaces.
The Refresh Project will address these shortcomings by renovating the building to include:
- Additional faculty offices
- Open workspaces
- Cutting-edge meeting areas
Key Amenities:
- Faculty Collab Space: A dedicated area for seminars and casual gatherings.
- Faculty Library: A quiet space for emeritus and visiting faculty.
- Outdoor Porches and Walkway: Promoting wellness and outdoor engagement.
- Renovated Hallways and Offices: More natural light and an open, welcoming atmosphere.
David (MBA ’78) and Kathleen LaCross have pledged $6.5 million toward the renovation of the Faculty Office Building, with Darden contributing an additional $1 million to create a $7.5 million matching gift. This challenge invites others to help raise $15 million for the project, enabling the renovation to move forward.
Join Us in Making History
By naming a space in the new Faculty Office Building, you're investing in the future of business, our students' success, and Darden's enduring legacy. Your generous contribution will help create a lasting impact that will resonate for generations to come.
Let’s build a brighter future together.
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|---|---|---|
| Faculty Office Building Naming |
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$15 million |
| Central Atrium and Collaboration Hub |
|
$5 million |
| Faculty Pavilions with Outdoor Porches |
|
$3 million each |
| Emeriti/Visiting Faculty Office Suite |
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$250,000 |
| Conference Room |
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$150,000 each |
| Lobby - RESERVED |
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Naming Opportunities for faculty offices will be available at a later date.
For more information, please contact Samantha Hartog, Senior Associate Vice President, Advancement, at [email protected] or +1-434-981-4025.