Two panels announced recently will assemble next week for their respective discussions on the same topic: the forced resignation and reinstatement of University President Teresa Sullivan. On Tuesday, Sullivan herself will meet with students and faculty in a roundtable on “trust” hosted by the Honor Committee. The talking continues Wednesday with an all-faculty panel sponsored by the Institute of Humanities and Global Cultures and the Faculty Senate. Although the parties involved deserve praise for arranging such sessions, the most central component is missing. The Board of Visitors was largely responsible for the turmoil during the summer, and any genuine dialogue on what happened then and how we can move forward should involve a Board representative. Although student Board member Hillary Hurd will sit on the Honor panel, a voting Board member should attend at least one of the events.
This voting Board member should be present first and foremost for the purpose of representation. These panels, if they are to be of any merit, should touch on and interrogate the role the Board played this summer and its mission at the University in general. Not only does the community deserve to hear from a Board member for insight on what actually happened, but the Board deserves to speak for itself to the community.
There is nothing amiss in acknowledging that these panels also serve as beneficial to public relations. During the summer, the Board had a reputation for not speaking very often in public; when it did pen a statement, it was often through the filter of the University Rector, or a consultant. Participating in conversations such as those taking place next week would be a chance for Board members to improve their visibility and restore public faith by showing they are willing to talk.
It could be argued that a Board member would not be able to go. But the Board will already be in Charlottesville next week for its meeting Thursday and Friday. Plus, technology makes logistical concerns less of a problem; Board members have previously phoned into their meetings and could do likewise with one of the panels. The Board may be busy, but University affairs should be of central importance, and if Sullivan can make the time to appear so can one of the Board members.
Honor Chair Stephen Nash declined to comment on whether a voting Board member had been asked to the Committee’s panel. Regardless of whether voting Board members had been invited, one of them should have requested to be involved voluntarily.
It is in the interests of public relations and also transparent governance that a Board member show up next week. Students and faculty can meet and speculate about higher education. But to gain real wisdom on the Sullivan ouster and the future of the University community will require a Board member to come and the timing couldn’t be more convenient.
Read More
SHRAUGER: We must fight against transportation deregulation
By Alex Shrauger | 2 days agoSpecifically, the reduction of funds in public transportation may leave University students stranded without convenient means of transport. But more broadly, the environmental impacts which deregulation may have are long-lasting.
Letters to the Editor: The resignation of University President Jim Ryan
5 days agoFollowing this resignation, The Cavalier Daily has received letters from the University community which provide various perspectives on what this moment means to them and to the University’s future.
U.Va. Medical Students: Defend academic freedom
By U.Va. Medical Students | June 29, 2025To yield in the face of federal pressure does more than betray the University’s core values — it encourages future attacks on academia.
