Beginning in the fall, Bob Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairs, will join the Lawn community as the resident of Pavilion VI. This decision was made after word of Sweeney as a potential Lawn resident prompted concern among members of the community who felt that the choice would be a break with the tradition of awarding pavilions to those whose roles are oriented towards academia and students.
After being chosen by the Pavilion Selection Committee, Sweeney's position as a pavilion resident was made official last month after members of the Board of Visitor's Executive Committee were polled by telephone.
Debate over whether pavilion residencies should only go to those whose jobs entail direct interaction with students first arose in March after a change was made to the Pavilion Assignment policy. The policy change removed the position of vice president of health affairs from the list of those eligible to be considered for a pavilion, replacing it with any vice president nominated by President John T. Casteen, III and approved by the Board. As a result of the change, nominated vice presidents are given priority over any deans for pavilion residency.
Shortly after the policy change was approved, Sweeney emerged as a potential candidate for a pavilion.
Pavilion residents are chosen by the Pavilion Selection Committee, which at the time consisted of Alexander Gilliam, secretary of the Board and the Committee's chair, Kenneth Schwartz, then chair of the Faculty Senate, and Lucy Russell, who was filling in for Laura Hawthorne, assistant to the provost. The fourth-year college student Ross Baird was the final committee member as the Gray-Carrington scholarship recipient and the only student member of the Committee.
In accordance with the policy, the Pavilion Selection Committee first considers the provost and vice president of student affairs. Gilliam noted that Pat Lampkin, vice president of student affairs, already resides in Pavilion III and recently appointed Provost Arthur Garson, Jr. chose not to live in a pavilion.
Sweeney was considered next because he was nominated by Casteen, Gilliam added.
In March, over 30 Lawn residents responded to the news that Sweeney was being considered for a pavilion by putting "For Sale" signs on their doors. Students who put up the signs expressed their concern that issues such as fundraising do not belong in the Lawn community, which is seen as the academic heart of the University.
Other students reacted by questioning the pavilion selection process. These concerns were addressed at an April Student Council meeting during which Council President Lauren Tilton co-sponsored a resolution recommending that the selection process be altered to include additional student input.
Criticisms of Sweeney's consideration did not affect the Board's decision, Gilliam said, noting that many administrators who did not teach lived on the Lawn in the past.
"Nobody was breaking precedent," he said.
When asked about the selection of Sweeney as a pavilion resident, Casteen said he would not offer additional comments on the matter, but referenced an interview in March in which he explained that Sweeney would be a good candidate to live on the Lawn because of his role in fundraising events.
"We make regular use of central Grounds locations for functions related to fundraising, and we expect [Sweeney] to host or attend most of them," he wrote in a March e-mail. "Carr's Hill is seriously overworked, and has been unavailable during peak periods for the last three years, a problem that will continue for at least another three years."
He also pointed out that pavilions have been used for a variety of purposes.
"In my own time here, pavilions have been used for all sorts of things," he wrote in the e-mail. "Most residents have been teachers, but some have been primarily administrators or surgeons or whatever."
In selecting pavilion residents, the Board aims to choose individuals who will be "good Lawn citizens" and will frequently interacting with other Lawn residents, Gilliam said. Members of the Board feel Sweeney will fulfill this expectation, he added.
Sweeney was unavailable for comment, but in a March interview said even though his position does not involve teaching, his work with the Capital Campaign enables him to be an active member of the University community. He said he hoped to be viewed "as not just a fundraiser, but as an institutional leader who has partnered with the academic area more than any development officer in the country."
University Rector and Board member W. Heywood Fralin said he supported selecting Sweeney to live in the pavilion because of his contributions to the University.
"Bob and his wife, Peg, will bring a great deal of enthusiasm and engagement to the Lawn community and will be good citizens and neighbors," he said.
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