Ralph Sampson

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. Established in 1819 by third U.S. president Thomas Jefferson, it is the only university in the United States to be designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, an honor it shares with... nearby Monticello. UVA is one of the eight original Public Ivies. The 2012 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Virginia as the 2nd best public university in the United States along with University of California, Los Angeles, and the overall 25th best public university in the nation. UVA's initial Board of Visitors included former Presidents of the United States Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. The site of the University was once farmland owned by Monroe, whose law office and farmhouse is now the site of Brown College at Monroe Hill, a residential college at the University. UVA competes in 23 varsity sports within the Atlantic Coast Conference. UVA's athletic program finished third in the NACDA Directors' Cup rankings in 2010.
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Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical... Area which has a 2008 estimated population of 118,409. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Harrisonburg with Rockingham county for statistical purposes, while the U.S. Census Bureau treats Harrisonburg as an independent city for census tabulation. Harrisonburg is home to James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University. The earliest documented English exploration of the area prior to settlement was the "Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition", led by Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood, who reached Elkton, and whose rangers continued and in 1716 likely passed through what is now Harrisonburg. Harrisonburg, previously known as Rocktown, was named for Thomas Harrison, a son of English settlers. In 1737, Harrison settled in the Shenandoah Valley, eventually laying claim to over 12,000 acres .
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