The Cavalier Daily, among other local and national news media, recently reported that the accreditation status of the University of Virginia is currently at risk. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, unsatisfied with the limited information provided by the Board of Visitors about the forced resignation and reinstatement of President Teresa Sullivan over the summer, has put the University on notice: If the Board does not provide a full account of the summer’s events and address the relevant concerns about negligence and breaches of integrity, the accreditation of our University will be jeopardized.
If the Board’s actions and subsequent inactions do result in the loss of the University’s accreditation, the consequences for us as students will be dire. Those currently receiving financial aid to attend the University will see those funds dry up. For students who do manage to complete their courses of study, their University degrees will become, in a practical sense, worthless. Planning to continue on to graduate or professional school after your time at Virginia? You’ll most likely be ineligible to do so. And anyone hoping for employment in a tight job market will find himself at a serious disadvantage without degrees from an accredited university.
Though I think it is unlikely that the University’s accreditation status will be revoked, the details matter: The fact that such an option is on the table attests to the serious incompetence of current leadership on the Board. Also, the fact that the Board’s actions have put our accreditation at risk indicates a fundamental disconnect between what the Board considers to be in the best interest of the University and what matters most to students, faculty and staff. This summer’s events revealed major flaws in our University’s structure of governance and, as a result, our University’s prestige has suffered a huge blow. This affects us as students not only during our University years — because, for instance, it diminishes the University’s ability to attract and retain top-notch faculty — but beyond. As alumni of the University, our names will be associated with this institution for the rest of our lives. The ongoing failures of leadership by the Board of Visitors tarnishes our public image and has real, material consequences for our own futures.
But it isn’t all bad news. University students possess a degree of school spirit that, in my experience, is incredibly rare. We fought side-by-side with faculty, staff and alumni for Teresa Sullivan’s reinstatement in June, and we won. To date, we are the only public institution in the country to have accomplished such a dramatic reinstatement of an ousted leader. And we’re not done yet. If we want to help this institution live up to the potential that such an outpouring of pride and affection demonstrates, then we need to finish what we started. On the afternoon of November 8, during the next scheduled meeting of the Board, students will join with faculty, staff and alumni to protest the Board’s breaches of integrity. I encourage all students who care about the future of this University to come out and advocate for transparency, accountability and reform. The crisis of governance at the University affects all of us, and the crisis is not over.
For more information, or to weigh in, join the organizers on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HoosUniversity or check out our webpage: hoosuniversity.org.
Dannah Dennis is a Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology.
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