To Be Great & Good In All We Do

For an institution to survive for centuries, it must adapt. And since the inception of their 2030 Strategic Plan, the University of Virginia has been adapting to strengthen its academic influence and connection to its community. Issues of social and economic mobility, the impact of research and transformative teaching, and the needs of all university stakeholders were forefront for UVA when we partnered to bring to life their belief that excellence is only possible through purposeful action.

After generations as a pillar of higher education, President James E. Ryan had come to believe that UVA had strayed from the core values it was founded upon. He believed that, rather than striving for excellence, they must strive for excellence that advances the culture and the community. That they must return to the University’s original mission of serving the state and its students. And that, for UVA to be great, every member of the community must re-commit to doing good.

Collaborating with the president, his faculty and staff, we launched a campaign to galvanize UVA and greater Virginia to understand, support and rally behind the presidents’ vision — to be great and good in all we do. We developed a documentary-style film series to highlight the most impactful faculty, staff, students, coaches, and administrators from across campus, and brought the notion of Great & Good to life using their own words. Each individual shared with us the big questions that drive their work – what problems they are addressing, what ideas and improvements they strive to bring to the world – and we used these questions as the narration for each video. In capturing many different facets of the UVA, we poised each vignette as an entry point for discovery so that all walks of life could see a direct connection between themselves and the positive impact generated by their neighbors.