77. Financial aid letters
It’s a letter that changes lives. UR admits talented traditional undergraduates without considering their financial circumstances, and then it commits to meeting 100% of their financial need. Very few colleges and universities do this.
Why make this commitment? Two words: Access and affordability. Approximately 69% of undergraduates receive financial aid, with an average financial aid award of nearly $45,000.
The university is committed to being financially accessible for Spiders at all points of income and wealth distribution and ensuring that all students can engage fully in university life — from the moment of admission through graduation. With continued careful stewardship and additional philanthropic support, this commitment will continue to expand in even more ways.
78. Our ambitious spirit
“I think we’re dreamers and I think we’re doers,” Maggie Johnson, ’18, said on the podcast As Spiders Do. “We’re people who tackle things, and we pursue the potentially impossible.”
79. The Robins gift
When E. Claiborne Robins Sr., R’31, pledged his transformational $50 million gift in 1969, it was then the largest sum ever given to an American university by a living benefactor. Fifty-five years later, we’re still living into the elevated potential it created. “By the time I came along, the effects of the gift had become … foundational to nearly every aspect of a Richmond education,” said Ed Ayers, who was president from 2007 to 2015.
80. A long commitment to women’s excellence
Early campus leaders faced a big question when they created Westhampton College in the early 20th century in preparation for admitting large numbers of women for the first time: What kind of dean did they want?
They found their answer in May Keller, a rigorous scholar who had written her doctoral dissteration in German on Anglo-Saxon weaponry. One of her first hires was athletic director Fanny Crenshaw, an accomplished athlete and pioneer in women’s sports in Virginia and nationally throughout her career.
@urichmond Happy Earth Day! 🌎 At URichmond, we're proud to have a thriving Eco-Corridor for both our community and native species to enjoy and explore. This is just one of the ways we're caring for the environment around us, alongside our Rethink Waste initiative, Spider Exchange program, Spider Solar Project and energy conservation efforts, and more. 🌱 #EarthDay #URichmond #EcoCorridor #beagreenspider
♬ original sound - University of Richmond
81. Eco-Corridor
Stretching along Little Westham Creek from campus down to River Road, the Eco-Corridor is both an outdoor classroom and a community space that connects UR to the James River.
This 13-acre refuge helps improve the biodiversity of campus and the surrounding area, with a restored streambed, pollinator gardens, native plantings, and invasive species management. A herd of goats helped restore it by naturally removing (i.e., eating) invasive plants.
There’s also a community garden, an accessible recreational trail, and a student-designed micro-park for relaxation and birdwatching.
A place for both reflection and learning, the eco-corridor is an oasis for well-being and a key to sustainability efforts.
82. Four-legged Spiders
How many legs does a Spider have? It’s complicated. Take, for example, our abiding love of Spiders with four legs.
In the 1970s, The Collegian ran 17 stories about a beloved neighborhood yellow Labrador retriever nicknamed Pierpont that freely roamed campus. He was such a presence that in 1976, the student union commissioned a statue of him. When he died in 1978, The Collegian ran his obituary. Others have wagged in his wake through the years: Spacedog, Lowrider, Bo, and Sissy, to name a few.
One of today’s four-legged Spiders is Karla, who has made the leap from visitor to staff. The 3-year-old standard poodle is on duty most days in the Well-Being Center, where she provides the proven benefits of canine company. During finals week, the Chaplaincy brings in more dogs for stress-relieving petting and cuddling during Study Break for the Soul.
The dog abides.
83. Spiders (the mascot)
The Spider symbolizes not just what we cheer but who we are — a university every bit as unique as our unmistakable mascot.
84. Spiders (the creatures)
“Whenever someone meets me and says, ‘Oh, I hate spiders,’ I feel like I could change their mind a little bit,” says Jennifer O’Donnell, biological laboratories manager and caretaker of Richmond’s live spiders. Here are her five reasons to value them:
- Spiders keep the populations of various insects in check.
- Spiders can keep pesky insects like mites and slugs at bay in your garden.
- Spiders are an important food source for birds and fish.
- Spider venom has been used in research for new medicines.
- Designers study spiders’ super-strong webs to help dream up new technologies and plans for architecture.
85. Spider Day
A day to celebrate that once a Spider, always a Spider. The 2023 festivities included live music, Athletics Hall of Fame inductions, food trucks, an evening festival, and more. Mark it on your calendar every year for the Friday of Homecoming Weekend.
86. 1,500 endowments, one solid foundation
Last year, in a faculty-staff publication called Spider Insider, Dave Hale, the executive vice president who oversees the university’s budget, called UR’s endowment “an incredible differentiator for the University of Richmond.”
“The endowment” is an umbrella term for a collection of 1,500 or so investment funds. Their earnings support scholarships, faculty chairs, internships, fellowships, study abroad, and so much more — not just this year and next, but in perpetuity.
Through strategic investment, careful stewardship, and additional philanthropy, the endowment grows over the long term even as investment returns vary from year to year.
During the current fiscal year, the endowment supplied about 40 cents of every dollar in the university’s budget. This is a substantial contribution built — and still being built — by generations of generous donors to secure UR’s mission and future.
87. Stylish ankles
For the last few years, the university has given a cozy pair of unique-to-Richmond socks to people making a gift of at least $25 during this fall campaign. It’s a small thank you that acknowledges how important annual giving, even small gifts, is to Spiders on campus today.
In the 2022-23 fiscal year, more than $580,000 came from gifts of less than $100. Like small streams flowing into a larger one, their impact as they come together is powerful.
