A bill calling for the addition of an 18th member to the University's Board of Visitors has not garnered support from Board members.
The Board currently includes 16 members and one non-voting student member. The proposal would add an additional voting member.
Some members of the Board, including Rector John P. Ackerly, have criticized and questioned the need for the 18th position, which would be reserved for a member of the Charlottesville and Albemarle community.
At the request of the Charlottesville City Council, Del. Mitch Van Yahres (D-57th) proposed the bill in the General Assembly. The bill is intended to maintain a positive relationship between the University and the Charlottesville community.
City Council requested the proposal in response to the declining number of Board members from the Charlottesville area. There is now one Board member from Charlottesville.
But Ackerly said he is unaware of any members who support the bill.
Board member William Crutchfield, the current member from the Charlottesville area, said statistical evidence proves that committees and boards become less efficient when they grow beyond a certain point.
"An 18-member Board is less effective than a 17-member Board," he said. He also said the passage of the bill would "create a dangerous precedent," sparking a desire in other special interest groups to gain a foothold in the Board. The governor now appoints all Board members, with no stipulations on residency.
Ackerly noted that the bill also could establish a risky precedent for other state universities in Virginia.
"A legislator would be concerned because Farmville would want a representative on Longwood's Board, Blacksburg would want one for Virginia Tech," and possibly every community housing a university would follow suit, Ackerly said.
Several Board members, including Ackerly, touted the proposal as unnecessary, as there has always been a Board member from the area.
While Board member Terence P. Ross agreed that the proposal seems unnecessary now, he said he "can envision a time where there will not be a Charlottesville resident on the Board" and such a provision would be necessary.
Van Yahres and Del. Paul Harris (R-58th) could not be reached for comment.
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