The University serves Virginia, the nation, and the world by preparing responsible citizen-leaders; advancing, preserving, and disseminating knowledge; and providing world-class patient care.
All gifts of any kind help secure the University’s place as a premier institution of learning and make it possible for our students, faculty, and researchers to shape a brighter future.
You can give to all 12 schools across Grounds. The possibilities are endless for supporting our students, faculty, and programs. Together, we will find the way forward.
You can join the growing number of alumni and friends who invest now in the University’s future by including UVA as a beneficiary of their wills, charitable trusts, and retirement plans. Gifts like these can offer you and your family significant tax benefits as well as greater financial flexibility in meeting your personal and philanthropic goals.
The Honor the Future campaign, the largest in University history, concluded in 2025, thanks to thousands of loyal supporters. Its impact on students, faculty, facilities, and research reaches across Charlottesville, Wise County, and Northern Virginia as it continues to advance the school in its third century of service to the commonwealth, nation, and world.
ennifer Marsh loves to bring people into the fold. One of the things a successful career in architectural design has given her is perspective—including knowledge about the variety of paths that open up with a degree from UVA’s School of Architecture. The Marsh Family Blue Ridge Scholarship that she and her husband, Chad, established will help more architecture students explore those paths.
It was in part UVA’s historic setting that drew Jennifer Marsh to Grounds. Initially planning to major in studio art and minor in art history, she was urged to consider taking courses in the Architecture School, where she found herself unexpectedly at home.
“It’s not surprising in retrospect,” she reflected, “but I would never have thought I’d study architecture when I left for college.”
Marsh was able to take part in the A-School’s education abroad program in Vincenza and studied with renowned professors Mario di Valmarana, whose family owned the Villa Rotunda, and Clemente di Thiene. Having also lived overseas with her family in England and Japan, she emphasized the importance of those international experiences.
“I think travel really opens your eyes to the way different people live and experience the world,” she said. “Seeing other traditions of creating the built environment helps you realize there are different models—potentially better models—than the ones we have. Being in Japan and seeing the way that even ancient design is quite modern had a lot to do with the things I cherish in design.”
After graduation from UVA, Marsh interned for several large firms in Washington, D.C., including Ayers Saint Gross, where she worked on several buildings familiar to fellow alumni Hoos, including Newcomb Hall and the David A. Harrison III Law Grounds project.
“I had friends in law school at the time, which made it fun,” she recalled. “And a lot of it did come down to feedback from students. It was a modern building, but everyone wants to feel like they’re on the Lawn, right? So one question was how to infuse the building with that feeling of history.”
Ultimately, Marsh was most interested in smaller-scale design. She completed her master’s degree at Harvard University and then signed on as a project designer with Dick Clark Architecture in Austin, Texas, a firm that designed small-scale commercial projects, like offices and restaurants, as well as residential buildings. The autonomy she had during those years led her to start her own firm, DesignHouse, in 2003. She works closely with clients on residential projects and emphasizes how being able to anticipate their needs through design improves their lives—creating intentional spaces for daily use, like a place to do homework or to feed or corral pets.
“I believe in design and what it does for our built environment,” she said. “Educating people about the necessity of design is so important.”
Chad Marsh works in real estate development, where design also plays a big role—particularly when it comes to environmental sustainability. The company spends a significant amount of time and money on design to ensure that buildings stylistically—and literally—weather well.
The couple’s belief in the necessity of thoughtful design was another reason they wanted to create the Marsh Family Blue Ridge Scholarship, which will support exceptional students in the Architecture School. “Architecture is a very rewarding profession but not necessarily financially,” Marsh laughed. “It’s really a passion, and you get paid in ways that are not financial.”
Marsh has participated in fundraising for her children’s school, working on campaigns for scholarships and financial aid, and has seen firsthand the impact that support has made in expanding the school’s community. She believes that the Marsh Family Scholarship will have the same positive results at the Architecture School and the University.
“Bringing in more people from different socioeconomic backgrounds and different regions of the United States makes it a better place to go to school. It’s breaking down barriers—that’s really what it’s about,” she said. “Literally, everybody wins.”
