The Board of Visitors voted Tuesday to formally rescind portions of its 2020 resolution that supported setting numerical goals for increasing racial diversity among students and faculty. The decision was made in closed session during a special meeting at the Boar’s Head Resort in Charlottesville and follows the Board’s March vote to dissolve the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Partnerships per President Donald Trump’s executive order.
The rescinded portions of the 2020 resolution involved the University’s endorsement of specific numerical goals for increasing diversity among students and faculty. These included a commitment to double the number of underrepresented faculty by 2030 and to develop a plan for a student population that more closely reflects the racial and socioeconomic demographics of Virginia and the nation.
The newly approved resolution, titled “Advancing Free Inquiry and Viewpoint Diversity at U.Va.”, calls for efforts to create a campus environment that supports open political dialogue, constructive debate and respect for differing perspectives. This resolution was mainly discussed in closed session before being voted on in open session.
The resolution also calls for the creation of a working group — composed of Board members, administrators, faculty and a student representative — to explore nonpartisan ways to encourage open inquiry, civil discourse and civic engagement within the University community.
The Board’s original support for goals outlined in the 2020 resolution was part of a broader effort outlined in the Racial Equity Task Force Report, which aimed to address systemic inequities through targeted recruitment and representation strategies.
The Board also approved a resolution authorizing the University to acquire the former Federal Executive Institute property in Charlottesville, contingent upon application approval. As of April 30, the University’s application was denied and the City of Charlottesville won the bid.
In a guest column submitted to The Cavalier Daily April 29, co-Chairs of Livable Cville Matthew Gillikin and Steven Johnson called on the University to rescind its bid on the property.
“By withdrawing its competing bid and endorsing the Charlottesville City Schools’ bid, the University has a high-profile opportunity to strengthen its partnership with Charlottesville City Schools and to tangibly demonstrate an overall commitment towards being a good neighbor to the Charlottesville area,” the letter read.
The property was recently declared surplus by the federal government after President Donald Trump issued an executive order closing the institute, citing that the educational organization does “not directly benefit the American people or further our Nation’s interests.” The closure of the institute was part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to end government bureaucracy and prioritize government efficiency.
The Board also approved a renewed contract with Workday, the University’s cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning system, to expand financial management capabilities across the entire health system. The system is already used for human resources and financial operations in the academic division and University Physicians Group.
Jennifer Wagner Davis, executive vice president and chief operating officer, told Board members the updated agreement would integrate the U.Va. Medical Center and Community Health with existing Workday services, replacing what she described as an aging and problematic system.
“They’re on an 18 and a half year old system of PeopleSoft, and it is one of the issues that is causing risk in our enterprise,” Davis said. “There’s real opportunity to leverage a pan-University, pan-enterprise system.”
In connection with the Workday expansion, the Board also granted advance approval for a systems implementation partner — which the University has not yet chosen — to assist with the rollout. Davis said the project could range in cost from $12 million to $20 million and emphasized the importance of staying on track for implementation by fiscal year 2028.
“To stay on track, we need to make and execute a series of decisions,” Davis said. “This was identified as a key issue to move the Medical Center and Community Health to a modern platform.”
The final contract approved was with CavFutures, a firm assisting U.Va. Athletics in managing name, image and likeness opportunities for student-athletes. Davis framed the approval as a strategic necessity given the ongoing legal and competitive developments in collegiate athletics.
The Board is set to convene again June 5-6. The Finance Committee will also hold a special meeting May 6 — this was originally scheduled to follow the Board’s Tuesday meeting, but closed session continued over the allotted time.
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