The Virginia General Assembly may authorize the creation of a permanent non-partisan commission today which would appoint members to the University's Board of Visitors.
The independent commission already exists in a temporary form as created by Gov. Mark Warner but would be made permanent with an amendment which he proposed.
The commission would be responsible for appointing members to the Boards of all 15 four-year public universities in Virginia and would be comprised of select former Board members, former University administration members and other non-legislative citizens.
Although the amendment specifically includes the phrase "non-partisan," members of the University's Board said partisanship has not been a problem for them.
Each new governor has the option of renewing members' terms or appointing new members.
According to University spokesperson Carol Wood, Warner has appointed both Republicans and Democrats to the Board but expects them to remain unbiased throughout deliberations.
"They check their party politics at the door," Wood said. "It does not influence their decision-making as members of the Board."
Wood said the governor's proposal to create a permanent commission is reflective of a change in the political philosophy of the state.
"It used to be a very political process, and governors appointed people on Boards as political favors but not always with the best interests of institutions at heart," Wood said.
Board Rector Gordon Rainey said he has not seen a Board decision influenced by partisan politics during his five years at the University.
He emphasized that the governor already was using a commission to recommend Board members, and that this amendment simply would make it permanent.
"We don't talk about politics, we talk about the future of the University," Rainey said.
Although the amendment is attached to the Higher Education Reform Act, previously known as the charter proposal, Rainey said the amendment was not directly connected to the charter plan.
"The idea is to serve as an aid to the governor in vetting qualifications of individuals under consideration for higher-ed Board appointments," he said.
David Solimini, communications director for the student advocacy group Virginia21, said he has not heard of any opposition to the amendment. He noted that a similar amendment failed the General Assembly earlier this session.
Solimini said, however, that he is optimistic about the passage of the amendment because of its association with the Higher Education Reform Act. Virginia21 collected 1,000 signatures in 100 hours in support of the amendment.
"If it doesn't pass, we will probably take a pass at it next year," he said.
Solimini also said he acknowledges that Warner created a successful commission upon entering office.
"Now that he's leaving office, he wants to make sure future governors do the same thing," he said.
Alex Stolar, chair of the Student Council Legislative Affairs Committee, said the current commission has worked well, and he looks forward to having a permanent commission. He noted that Virginia Tech and William & Mary also were successful with similar commissions.
"Is politics going to be eliminated completely? Probably not," Stolar said. "But having qualified and strong candidates will insure that the best interests of the University are at heart."
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