University President John T. Casteen, III announced this summer that he will retire Aug. 1 next year. By that time, Casteen will be 66 years old and will have served a term of 20 years. The only president to have served longer than Casteen was the University's first president, Edwin A. Alderman, who served a 27-year term at the beginning of the 20th century.\nFilling the president's shoes will not be an easy task, particularly when Casteen's successor may not even fill the same role after which the position is currently modeled.\n"There is no question that the role of university presidents has changed dramatically throughout the course of American higher education," said Jay Lemons, Susquehanna University president, former chancellor at the College at Wise and former assistant to University Presidents Robert O'Neil and Casteen.
The origins of the presidency\n"Thomas Jefferson originally specified that there not be a president," said Sandy Gilliam, the University's protocol and history officer and former secretary to the Board of Visitors. Instead, Jefferson called for an elected faculty chairman who served a term of two to three years and worked with a Board of Visitors, Gilliam said. The Board of Visitors, however, later began appointing the chairman of the faculty for longer terms.\nAlthough the University was small in those early days, it still lacked an efficient administrative structure, Gilliam stated.\n"I think that probably was OK until some point after the Civil War, and then things began to change everywhere in this country," Gilliam said.\nIn October 1895, the Rotunda caught fire, and by this time, "it was evident that the University's system of government was not working."\nThe fire led University officials to raise funds to rebuild the Rotunda. Along with this, Gilliam explained, the University was devastated by the Civil War.\nBy 1895, there was some chance that the University would receive a decent measure of state support - which had not been received in significant amounts since the Civil War. Nevertheless, there was not enough to bring the University up to date, Gillam said.\n"Buildings had to be built and the University did not give Ph.D.s in those days," Gilliam said. "They were out of step with the mainstream of American academic staff and a new chairman of the faculty every three years just was not workable."\nIn 1904, Alderman began his tenure as the University's first president, and he proved to be "a very strong leader" who replaced the University's traditionally weak central administration, Gilliam said.\nIn the early days of University presidents, their role centered on education-related matters, Lemons said. This educational focus meant that presidents often had full-time engagement in the classroom, he explained.
A University CEO?\nDuring the last 25 to 30 years, however, there has been a significant change in the role of American public university presidents, Lemons said. Much of this change affected how presidents relate to outside constituencies such as legislators, alumni, parents and various external fundraisers, Lemons said.\nBy the time Casteen first arrived at the University in 1990, it seemed that the state would provide large increases in funding. Casteen explained that the state was going to pay for increases in enrollment, large raises for staff and faculty and new buildings. Although the University planned for this funding, Casteen said, officials subsequently announced that the commonwealth was in a financial crisis 60 days after Casteen's arrival.\nInstead of receiving the promised support, the University had to deal with the consequences of poor state planning, Casteen said. These consequences included "flat-lined" salaries and then cut salaries. Moreover, the University administration now needed to find ways to increase enrollment without state support, quickly plan a capital funds campaign and rebuild a development staff to replace a prior staff that had been let go in the late 1980s, "when it was believed that the state would pay for everything," Casteen said.\nWith time, Casteen said, his position has evolved even further, taking on increasingly fundraising-related roles.\n"The University has taken over virtually all the functions that the state used to run for us, built its endowment, added one new school and planned two others," Casteen explained.\nNow, Casteen said, the president is akin to a CEO of a corporation.\nBut former Governor Gerald L. Baliles, director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs explains in his article, "Renewing the Academic Presidency: Stronger Leadership for Tougher Times," that "they are unlike other chief executives in the source and reach of their authority".
Why Casteen Cared\nUniversity presidents are held accountable by many constituencies, Baliles said. These include boards and alumni, students and parents, faculty and donors, governors and legislators, among others, he noted.\nThere are inherent difficulties to the position, Baliles said, and they include "the difficulties of the selection process and ... limits on [presidential] authority." But Casteen found multiple reasons to accept the position of University president.\nFirst, he believes that "world-class public universities, and this one in particular, are essential to the survival of our Republic."\nSecond, two people who Casteen greatly admires, Josh Darden and Ed Elson, persuaded him that it was the right thing.\nThird, Casteen thought he saw a way in which to preserve world-class public education by doing what his friends and mentors urged him to do.\nAnd when it finally came down to it, Casteen was left with one rationale: "This is U.Va."
An unpredictable future\nAlthough these reasons are what encouraged Casteen to take the position, times have changed and there could be new challenges for the next University president to handle.\n"I can't predict what I can't see," Casteen said.\nUniversity Rector John O. Wynne explained that it is too early to know what exactly the University is now looking for in its next president.\n"We are still in the process of getting all sorts of inputs from people," Wynne said, emphasizing that the University president's role has changed so much and so fast that to give a simple, clear-cut definition of what Casteen's successor will look like would be a nearly impossible task at this point.\n\nThe president and his 'presidency'\nAlthough the president's role and responsibility is large and has many obligations, he is not alone in his quest to better the underpinnings of the University. Nancy Rivers - who serves as chief of staff for the president and associate vice president for administration - explained that her job is to oversee the president's operations and collaborate with his staff and colleagues across Grounds. As a result, her responsibilities allow the president to "focus on major University priorities."\nAt the same time, Rivers said, she does spend much of her time simply "trying to keep up with" the University's president.\n"The demand for Mr. Casteen's time is far beyond the supply, so planning for every meeting and event is our major priority with the goal of optimizing his efforts," Rivers said. "Our work and priorities are driven by Mr. Casteen's schedule."\nBecause Casteen's availability has diminished as years have passed, the University is fortunate to have a dedicated staff supporting him, Rivers said.\n"The president plays a very important role, but the president is always a part of something larger," Lemons said. This presidency, Lemons added, is made up of multiple strands that include other senior officers of the institution, such as student and faculty leaders, the Board of Visitors and trustees.\n"All of these [roles] combine to create the larger impact of the presidency," Lemons said. "And it is pretty clear that the individual plays the significant role, but ultimately, the president's success depends on the strength of the people to accomplish the work that they do, and that is what defines the presidency"
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