The University of Virginia in Charlottesville has announced a $40 million gift from alumnus Thompson Dean in support of a series of curricular initiatives designed to advance UVA as a national leader in liberal arts and science education.

A group of newly appointed college fellows will spend the academic year designing a series of courses to be piloted in the next school year. In addition to funding the design phase, the gift will support a series of teaching- and research-based curriculum initiatives in the university's College of Arts and Sciences.

In recognition of the gift from the 1979 graduate, co-CEO of private equity investment firm Avista Capital Partners, UVA will name the South Lawn's Dean Commons Building in his honor. Dean has previously provided support for an endowed professorship in Asian studies, engaged learning initiatives, and the completion of the South Lawn Project, which added classroom, office, and common space. He also has made gifts to UVA's department of athletics totaling $2.65 million.

"UVA needs to continue to play a leadership role in the innovations driving the evolution of a twenty-first-century liberal arts and sciences education," Dean said. "Generations of the college's graduates have gone on to serve as leaders across a wide spectrum of professions, and this gift is designed to build on that legacy. The world needs more well-prepared UVA graduates, and I hope others will join me in supporting this effort."