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Subscribe to RSSVirginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell has warned the University of Virginia’s governing board to resolve the school's leadership crisis by Tuesday or he will ask the board’s 15 members to step down.
“I want final action by the Board on Tuesday,” McDonnell said in a statement released Friday. “If you fail to do so, I will ask for the resignation of the entire Board on Wednesday. Regardless of your decision, I expect you to make a clear, detailed and unified statement on the future leadership of the University.”
View Governor Robert F. McDonnell’s letter to the board (pdf)
Protests and resignations have roiled the Charlottesville campus since the governing Board of Visitors on June 10 forced Teresa Sullivan, the university's first female president, to resign midway through a five-year contract. The resignation is effective Aug. 15.
On Thursday evening, supporters of Sullivan on the 15-member board called for a special meeting after they were able to secure enough votes to retain her, The Washington Post reported. The board is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Ten of the university's 11 school deans, as well as the Faculty Senate, have demanded Sullivan's reinstatement amid wide condemnations of the board's abrupt firing of the popular 62-year-old educator.
The Board of Visitors, headed by Helen Dragas, claimed they were unhappy with Sullivan's progress on financial, health care and other issues.
Sullivan defended her performance, saying, "Corporate-style, top-down leadership does not work in a great university.”
University of Virginia board to meet to address reinstatement of president
On Friday, Sullivan’s possible reinstatement prompted her interim successor McIntyre School of Commerce Dean Carl Zeithaml to suspend his plans to take over, effective Aug. 15. Excerpts of his letter posted by The Cavalier Daily, the university’s student publication:
In the three days since I accepted this position, I have talked to many in our community about what transpired on Grounds while I was out of the country on University business, and I received a great deal of input from numerous colleagues, including members of the faculty. I deeply appreciate and respect this input.
Clearly, we agree that the University and its reputation have been damaged these past 13 days, but that together we can mend the harm done and move our great University forward. Trust, one of our core institutional values, has been compromised.
There is an enormous groundswell of support for Terry Sullivan’s reinstatement as our president, and I understand that the Board will meet next week to consider this possibility. As a result, I am suspending any further negotiations with the Board regarding my status as interim president, as well as any activities associated with this role. In the meantime, I will return my focus to the McIntire School.
Trust cannot be restored in our community until the President Sullivan’s status is clarified and ultimately resolved.
Sullivan was elected to her position in January 2010, having previously served as the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan.
Supporters decried the board's move to remove Sullivan, announced on June 10 in an university-wide email sent to staff and students.
The fallout from the decision brought the resignation of a key ally of Dragas, Vice Rector Mark Kington. He announced his resignation on Monday, nearly two years before the end of his term.
"I believe that this is the right thing to do and I hope that it will begin a needed healing process at the university," Kington said in the letter.
Several professors have also resigned in protest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The fact that Sullivan is a Democrat had nothing to do with this decision. After all - she was only meeting all her goals ahead of schedule, and this was not good enough for Dragas. It had nothing to do with the fact that Dragas (a very vocal republican donor) repeatedly stated that she wanted republicans (actually she said 'real americans') appointed to run all the state colleges and universities.
So the republicraps want to fire achievers so they can dumb down more people. Remember that when you vote. I will never say I will "never" vote republicrap again, but their morals and ideals will have to change 180 degrees FIRST.
Based on the insanity and obvious bigotry of your post I hope and pray you are not a graduate of UVA. If so, they have more serious issues than who is the President. Obvious if you graduated there, the school's accreditation needs to be reviewed too.
Don't you liberals ever get tired of making crap up. Are you so incapable of dealing with reality that you have t live in an altered state?
What next? Claiming Romney conspired to have her fired?
Dragonlady Dregas sounds like she went to the same school as Karen Handel from the SDK debacle!
Gotta love an elected public official with --- I believe the technical term is -- BALLS!!!!
Dragas should resign
Another re-pubelicken coup?
Won't these morons ever learn that higher education should not be tainted with their antediluvian dogmas?
By the way, what exactly is a "real American"? White, anglo-saxon, male, blond, blue-eyed, circumcised, hairy, . . . . what?
But dear Dragonlady Dragas is a female, uncircumcised, not a true blonde, . . . .so she at least is not a real American. What a relief!!!!
I haven't seen President Sullivan's political affiliation published, so I don't know if she is a Democrat or not. I am, but I also know that Helen Dragas was appointed to the BoV by then Gov Kaine (who is a Democrat), and is being told to fix this mess or get out by current Gov McDonnell (who is a Republican). Maybe this isn't as black/white dem/rep as some think.
Hit enter before I finished. Let me say that I hope that President Sullivan is reinstated, and that Helen Dragas is not re-appointed - her term is up this summer I read. That part IS black/white. Just not sure about the political angle.
I take great pleasure when I read the extreme rants of either side that their strongly worded opinions are ultimately completely meaningless.
Yeah, you're right but it's fun to bait the "other side" into a seizure inducing rant where they ultimately lose all train of thought and resort to cursing as an answer to the argument.
car 56, you got that correct. I love watching the teabaggers and puggies do their seizure bit. They are better at it then the left wing wack jobs, that's for sure. Can't believe the names and manure the con's throw around when they are seizured with fustration.
I wish I could find it entertaining, but mostly it just irritates me that people can be so prejudiced. There are always two sides to any story, especially political ones, and both sides have something meaningful to contribute.
"while I was out of the country on University business"
Just had to mention this in your first sentence, didn't you? What a Lilliputian!
more political fighting......don't you just love it.
Anybody who takes on the progressives at a university has my vote. Fire all the professors and liberal administrators. We need to take back our university system for "real Americans" in this country. Go conservatives.
Paul:
That statement is LIVING proof that internet service has now been provided to your trailer court. Drivel, my friend, drivel.
Paul:
Are you really that low informed and brain washed? Gee, better get back on your meds.
No opinion other than a far right opinion is now allowed: Ven der Fuhrer says, "Ve ist der master race, Sieg Heil! Seig Heil! Right in der fuhrer's face!"
I don't really know the circumstances but a University is not a business, we are trying to treat them all like business, but they are not.
The faculty and the staff are the University, and if 10 out of 11 Deans are demanding Sullivans reinstatement, the board has made a very bad mistake. They should probably be fired either way.