The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society

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The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society

The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society fosters friendship and lively conversation among students

The Jefferson Society strives to provide UVA students a chance to engage in debate and discourse on a range of pertinent issues, honing their public speaking and literary skills and developing their ability to sustain an argument in debate. Additionally, the Society continues to provide the University and Charlottesville community with its prestigious Speakers Series, a collection of diverse and e

ngaging presentations on a host of topics that offer students, faculty and guests alike the opportunity to both learn from and engage with a variety of interesting figures from a wide array of backgrounds. Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization’s contracts, acts or omissions.

04/10/2026

This past weekend, Jeffsoc had its annual Founder’s Day banquet! We enjoyed a speech from Mr. Denver Riggleman and the lovely company of our members and guests. Thanks to everyone who came!

03/23/2026

What does the Declaration of Independence Mean to You? Since the U.S is approaching its 250th anniversary, now is the perfect time to answer (or think about) this question! Join us tomorrow, March 24th in 1515 at 6:00 PM for a discussion with faculty and postdocs about the Declaration of Independence!

03/13/2026

Where was Jeffsoc last Friday? From Ireland to Puerto Rico, to Alabama, our members went all around the globe during spring break! While we all had fun last week, we’re excited to be back in the Hall for the rest of the semester!

01/21/2026

TIME CHANGE. Thursday and Friday interviews will now begin at 9:00 am.

01/20/2026

The Jefferson Society is pleased and proud to present our Spring 2026 Executive Committee!

12/10/2025

27 newly crossed members later…🎉🥳

11/27/2025

some people we’re thankful for!! 🍂🍁

11/12/2025

Join us at Hotel C this Friday (November 14th) for our third Distinguished speaker of our Fall 2025 Distinguished Speaker Series with Dexter Ingram. All are welcome!!

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Read more about Dexter Ingram:

Dexter Ingram is the Founder of IN Network, a nonprofit organization he launched in 2023 to guide young people aged 13 to 26 toward meaningful and impactful careers in national security. Having spent 25 years in the field, Mr. Ingram was a former Naval Flight Officer and counterterrorism strategist, he has held key leadership roles across the U.S. government, bringing decades of operational and policy experience to his work.

His distinguished public service includes serving as Director of the Office of Countering Violent Extremism, Acting Director of the Office of the Special Envoy to Defeat ISIS, Senior Counterterrorism Coordinator to INTERPOL in Lyon, France, Senior Political Advisor in Helmand, Afghanistan, and Deputy Director of the Office of Preventing WMD Terrorism. He has also served as a senior liaison to both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

A passionate advocate for community engagement and storytelling, Mr. Ingram shares his love for history, national security, and service through his remarkable private spy collection. He serves on the Boards of the International Spy Museum, the National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE), the Sycamore Institute, and Globally. He has also served on the Board of Visitors at the National Defense University and on the D.C. Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

10/30/2025

The Jefferson Society is pleased and proud to announce our first annual Martin Skeptical Debate, with a grand prize of $4,000! This year’s resolution is “Resolved: AI will significantly increase biological risk in the next 5 years.”

Teams of 2 will participate in a debate tournament, with an all-day qualifying round on November 15th in Jefferson Hall (Hotel C, West Range), a semi-final round on January 31st, and the final round in Old Cabell Hall on February 7th. If you don’t have a partner, we can set you up with one. The tournament is open to all University students.

To apply, fill out the form in our bio by Thursday, November 6th at 11:59 p.m. We hope to see you there!

10/28/2025

BIG weekend for Jeffsoc celebrating Fall Forum with four visiting debating societies and our 63rd annual Restoration Ball!!! This year we raised over $5k dollars for the Boys and Girls Club of Central Virginia, a local nonprofit 🎉🎉

10/19/2025

Join us this Saturday, October 25, for our 63rd annual Restoration Ball starting at 9 PM at Crozet! There will be a live band ( ) and a DJ ( ) and all proceeds will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia! There will be a bar tab and you can purchase tickets at the link in our bio! See you there 😎😎😎

Address

Charlottesville, VA

Website

https://jeffersonsociety.org/

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