Last Thursday, Gov. Mark R. Warner appointed four new members to the University's Board of Visitors.
L.F. Payne, John "Dubby" Wynne, Georgia Willis and Susan "Syd" Dorsey will replace retiring members John Ackerly, Elizabeth Twohy, Keister Greer and Elsie Holland.
The governor's new advisory commission on higher education board appointments recommended the new appointees, who each will serve until February 2007.
Warner established the commission last year in an attempt to de-politicize the appointment process, said Kevin Hall, deputy press secretary for Warner.
"It was widely reported in the previous governor's term about whether board members were merely foot soldiers for the governor and his agenda or whether they were to be independent thinkers," Hall said.
Wynne said he is delighted to have been selected, but that his position as "the new kid on the block" will require him to devote many of the coming months to learning about University issues before he can set any policy goals.
"There are so few positions, and I'm pleased the governor asked me to do it," he said. "I look forward to it."
Wynne, who earned a law degree from the University, is a member of the University alumni association's Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
He also is a member of the Princeton University board of trustees, where he serves as chairman of the academic affairs committee.
Dorsey, who is from Hanover County, holds both an undergraduate degree from the University and a master's degree from the Darden School, and is a director of the University's alumni association.
Willis, from Ruther Glen, Va., earned an undergraduate degree from the University, and is a director of the Commerce School's Charter Cornerstone Society.
Payne, who served as a United States congressman from 1988 until 1997, earned a master's degree from the Darden School, and is a former member of the University of Virginia Foundation Board.
"The University is a fine institution," Payne said. "Maintaining that is a real opportunity for all of us in Virginia."
Some members of the University community recently have questioned whether there is a persistent lack of minority representation on the Board.
Dorsey, as well as current Board member Warren Thompson, are both African-American.
The ethnic diversity of members is not a problem with the Board, Board Secretary Alexander "Sandy" Gilliam, Jr. said.
Gilliam, who has worked in an administrative capacity at the University since 1975, said the Board had its first female member appointed in the 1920s, and its first African-American member appointed about 25 years ago.
"The quality of appointees, no matter who they are, is what really matters to me," he said. "I think we've been lucky."
Others involved with the board also expressed satisfaction with the governor's selections.
"They are exemplary --the ones [Warner] picked," said Josh Darden, one of seven members on the new advisory commission. "They will be outstanding Board members."
University President John T. Casteen III agreed with Darden's assessment, saying all four appointees have demonstrated deep commitment to the University.
"These are uncommonly well qualified to serve on the Board," Casteen said. "They come from scattered regions of the state, but with the common thread that all four of their home regions are areas where alumni support is strong and where the University has substantial public service requirements."
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