UVA presidential search committee pushes on, with two special Board meetings on the horizon

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - On Thursday, December 11, the University of Virginia got one step closer to selecting its next permanent president, with a special committee meeting to discuss candidates that unfolded almost entirely behind closed doors.

Though very little information was divulged during the public portion, one thing is clear: UVA is still moving forward with its search for a president, despite calls from Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger and on-Grounds groups to pause.

Only about two minutes of the Special Committee on the Search for a President’s two-hour meeting was held in open session, with the rest devoted to doing due diligence on candidates in closed session.

“We will have closed meetings in undisclosed locations in the next 15 days to conduct further interviews with candidates,” Rector Rachel Sheridan said to begin the meeting.

With that, committee members went into closed session, under which they would remain until they adjourned. After the meeting, 29News asked several members of the committee who were walking out of Madison Hall if they had any updates they would like to share. Several said no or did not respond. One member said, “It was a good meeting,” with no further comment.

Professors MC Forelle, the Chair of the UVA Chapter of the Faculty Committee with the United Campus Workers of Virginia, and Adam Slez, also a member of the Faculty Committee, were the sole members of the public who sat in on the first minute or so of Thursday’s meeting. The two say they understand the need for confidentiality, but condemned the decision to continue the search amid pressure to wait.

“I have a lot of sympathy for the members of the search committee who truly do believe that they are doing the best they can do by the university,” Forelle said. “That being said, I do not see how it is possible to watch your community push back against a process like this as hard as it has, and still conclude that the best candidate will be coming to this university, because the best candidates will see a community that is not in line with its administration, and say no thank you.”

In the Board’s December 5 meeting, Rector Sheridan defended her colleagues and their work, stating that there had been a “rise in divisive politics which continue to get in the way of UVA’s mission and our work together as a Board,” adding that the people who had been chosen to lead were not selected based on an ideological position.

Slez challenged the first part of that statement on Thursday.

“I think the interpretation of many folks is, is this divisive, or is it simply a request for democracy?” Slez said.

To officially select the 10th president, the Board of Visitors will have to convene in a meeting to vote. Just this week, two special meetings were announced on the Board’s page: one on December 19, and one on January 6. Both include the stated purpose of discussing presidential candidates.

Jeri Seidman, Chair of the Faculty Senate, said her immediate reaction to seeing those meetings posted was “disappointment.”

“I don’t understand the rush,” Seidman told 29News. “If their preferred candidate is based on accomplishments and merits, then that preferred candidate should rise to the top in January when the Board is fully constituted, when there’s been time for additional interviews, when there’s been time to meet with potential direct reports outside of the rush of final exams and the holidays.”

The Board is currently missing five members, vacancies Spanberger has pledged to fill once she’s inaugurated on January 17. The Governor-elect did not respond to a request for comment about UVA’s decision to continue the search on Thursday.

29News also asked for a response from Governor Glenn Youngkin, who sent a spirited reply to Spanberger’s call for a pause, accusing her of being the first Virginia governor to interfere with university governance.

“This is a decision by the UVA Board of Visitors, and the Board has made it clear it is continuing with its robust and inclusive process for finding a new University President,” the spokesperson wrote.

The Faculty Senate, which called for the Rector and Vice Rector’s resignation on November 14, are meeting on Friday and plan to discuss the ongoing search.

“What could be more important than setting the 10th president up for a successful presidency?” Seidman said.

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