The U.S. Department of Education reversed course, passing off the now-shuttered Federal Executive Institute to the University Friday. The Department previously awarded the institute to Charlottesville City Schools.
In a statement to The Cavalier Daily, University Spokesperson Bethanie Glover said that the decision was “completely unexpected,” and that they received the notice Friday.
“We are currently reviewing it and seeking additional information,” Glover said.
The Board of Visitors previously approved the University’s application to submit a bid for the institute, located just under two miles from central Grounds and created by President Lyndon B. Johnson as a training facility for federal workers. The Trump administration shuttered the institute in February, saying it enlarges and entrenches the federal bureaucracy.
The University submitted an application for the property, attempting to buy it, while CCS was initially able to acquire the property for free under the Federal Real Property Assistance Program. The Department accepted CCS’s offer to use it as a preschool and administrative office space April 30.
But staffing reductions at the Department have affected the program, complicating CCS’s ability to acquire the property for free. A letter to CCS from the Department stated that the Department believes the University will meet executive orders from the president and “best meets the secretary’s priorities for property use.”
The Cavalier Daily asked Glover for a copy of the letter from the Department notifying the University of the change, but Glover declined to share it, instead instructing to submit a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the letter.
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