A group of alumni formed The Great Mr. Jefferson Essay and Scholarship Foundation, Inc. following a letter sent to President Teresa Sullivan signed by University faculty and students that criticized her inclusion of a Thomas Jefferson quote in her post-election address to the student body.
Tom King, co-founder of the foundation and 1972 University graduate, said the alumni were upset by the notion that faculty members would attempt to censor Sullivan and tell her who she should quote and who she should not quote — especially when that censorship was being applied to Jefferson.
Creators of the foundation include King and University alumni Doug Lowenhaupt, James Matthews and Donald Smith.
“We decided to go forward and set up a foundation that would be in existence for the purpose of furthering students at the University of Virginia actually studying and reading and deciding for themselves which of Jefferson’s statements, pronouncements and thoughts were worthy of them writing an essay about,” King said.
The foundation will provide scholarships through an essay contest for University students using member donations. Submitted essays will be reviewed and chosen by a selection committee.
The alumni are currently working on the logistical details of the foundation and finding people who are interested in actively participating, Smith said.
“One of the first gestures is to come up with a Board of Directors, also a selection committee that would be the folks who would go over the entries,” Smith said.
Smith said he would also like to be able to get as much participation as possible from faculty and administrators on Grounds.
“I’d like to get at least one professor from the English department, one professor from the History department and one professor from the Political Science department to be able to sit in on either the board or the selection committee,” Smith said.
The alumni also expressed a shared desire to promote research, discussion and contemplation of Thomas Jefferson and his history through the scholarship.
“The intention to me is to encourage thinking and free speech, really, at the University of Virginia,” Matthews said. “We’d like to promote Thomas Jefferson, our founder of our University, and have the students there be reminded of him and contemplate the good things he did and the bad things, have a discussion.”
Smith also described the purpose of the foundation to be a way for students to learn more about Jefferson and be able to intellectually deal with his vast and complex legacy.
“You can’t take the history out of the history,” Lowenhaupt said.
The scholarship aims to encourage students to study history and respond to it in their own voice.
“There’s lots of material and there’s lots to read and there’s lots of history, and you’re living part of it by living there at the University of Virginia,” King said.
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