Z Society

The Z Society contributes significantly to the University through monetary donations, recognition events, such as a First-Year Recognition Dinner, service opportunities, encouragement letters, and major awards such as the Edgar Shannon Award, presented to one student from each school during graduation, as well as the Distinguished Faculty Award, presented to one faculty member from the University every year.

According to University historian Philip Alexander Bruce, the society was formed to "skim the cream" from the Elis and T.I.L.K.A.

Past gifts to the university include an annual fund for the purchase of books at Alderman Library, established in honor of University professor, dean, and Z Society member Robert Kent Gooch at his retirement in 1964;[6] a scholarship in honor of University president Edgar F. Shannon Jr., established in 1973;[7] the Z Society Distinguished Faculty Award, for professors who contributed to the community beyond their academic responsibilities, established in 1972; and the Z Society Award for Organizations, dating from 1971 or before.

[12] In January 2015, the Z Society donated $30,000 to UVA's Faculty Forward program to promote "exceptional teaching, engaged learning and strategic research" at the University.

[13] Notable members of the Z Society include: The Z Society received international publicity in 2016 when University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier was convicted in North Korea of stealing a propaganda sign from his Pyongyang hotel while on a vacation.