The University of Virginia has announced a $40 million gift from Robin Hood Foundation founder and UVA alumnus Paul Tudor Jones II and his wife, Sonia M. Jones, to help fund construction of a building designed to bring students and faculty from different schools together, foster collaboration, and encourage new ways of teaching and learning.

To that end, the Contemplative Commons, as the building will be known, will provide open, highly adaptable spaces that can be configured to accommodate groups, workshops, lectures, research, and physical activity, allowing for a closer integration of the academic experience with students' personal well-being. Envisioned as a twenty-first-century answer to the problem of academic isolation that can hinder collaboration among schools and departments housed in separate facilities, the space will host artistic performances, activities such as dance and yoga, and networking opportunities alongside teaching and research in an environment focused on experiential learning.

The Joneses' previous support for UVA includes a $20 million gift in 2001 for a sports arena and $12 million in 2012 to establish the Contemplative Sciences Center.

"No other site on [campus] will so faithfully correspond in design and intention to Thomas Jefferson's vision for the original Academical Village — to deeply connect the university community in life, learning, and research through integrated natural and built environments and spaces for both intense collaboration and quiet reflection," said David Germano, a professor of religious studies who leads the Contemplative Sciences Center.

"Our goal is to prepare our students both to be successful in their careers and to lead meaningful, satisfying lives once they leave here," said UVA president Jim Ryan. "That's what the new Contemplative Commons is designed to do — providing space for students and faculty from different schools and disciplines to work together, and helping them thrive outside the classroom as well."