Previewing the June meeting of the Board of Visitors

The University’s Board of Visitors will convene Thursday and Friday to vote on plans for capital development, University budgets and audit plans. Various committees will also hear reports on the U.Va. Health System’s operations, University-wide fundraising progress and the University’s College at Wise among other topics of discussion.

The full Board will meet Friday afternoon with University President Jim Ryan leading a discussion on research at the University and viewpoint diversity — the practice of encouraging and including a wide range of perspectives and opinions. The Board will also hear remarks from James Lambert, incoming faculty member, and Gregory Perryman, incoming student member and fourth-year College student, both of whom will serve as advisory, non-voting members for the next year.

Also at this meeting, the full Board will vote on an amendment to the Manual of the Board of Visitors, proposed by recently appointed Ken Cuccinelli, which would change the nominating process for candidates for the Secretary to the Board of Visitors position, who attends all meetings, records meeting minutes and keeps records of all documents pertaining to the actions of the Board.

Currently, the University President and the Board’s Rector nominate a candidate, after which the Board may officially elect the secretary to serve for a term of four years. Cuccinelli’s proposed change would allow any member of the Board to make a nomination even if not supported by the President — according to the meeting agenda, all seven members of the Board’s Executive Committee have already reviewed and expressed opposition to this amendment, which requires a majority of the 17 members to pass.

Before the full Board meets, members of each Committee will convene in separate meetings to discuss business and vote on action items Thursday and Friday.

In its Friday meeting, the Finance Committee will vote on the University’s proposed $6.5 billion fiscal year 2025-26 operating budget — an increase from $5.8 billion last year and $5.4 billion the year before. The Committee will also vote to approve capital project financial plans, which include a variety of renovations and new buildings, and vote on student housing rate and meal plan increases for the College at Wise.

The Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee will meet Friday in both open and closed session, and will vote to approve audit plans for the University in the fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027. The Committee will also hold a discussion reflecting on the fiscal year 2025 financial reporting process and will review audit reports and goals for institutional and Medical Center compliance with regulations and state and federal laws. In closed session, the Committee will consult with legal counsel regarding information about the Medical Center and ongoing IT system implementation.

The Advancement Committee will meet in open session Thursday and hear reports from Vice President for Advancement Mark Luellen, Chancellor for the College at Wise Donna Henry and Vice Provost for Enrollment Stephen Farmer on fiscal year 2025 fundraising. They will also discuss the progress of the Honor the Future campaign — a fundraising campaign launched in 2019 which will officially conclude June 30 of this year and contributed funding to a variety of capital projects, including the new School of Data Science and Shannon Library renovations.

The Buildings and Grounds Committee will meet Thursday and vote to approve the demolition of the Center for Teaching Excellence building at U.Va. Wise, a facility that has been largely vacant since 2020 and, according to the agenda, has deteriorated to a point at which it is no longer occupiable. The Committee will also vote to approve the 2025 Major Capital Plan, a multi-year plan which is reviewed and adjusted annually to allow for new projects, and will hear reports on state government relations, sustainability and proposed additions to the Major Capital Plan.

The Health System Board will meet Thursday morning in both open and closed session. During open session, the Board will hear three annual reports — one on the Medical Center from Chief Executive Officer Wendy Horton, another on the School of Medicine from Dean Melina Kibbe and one on the School of Nursing from Dean Marianne Baernholdt. The Board will also hear updates on the Health System’s finances for the fiscal year 2025 and will vote to approve the fiscal year 2026 operating budget.

During closed session, the Health System Board will discuss information about the operations of the Medical Center, School of Medicine and School of Nursing, exempt from public disclosure, according to the meeting agenda, because disclosure would adversely affect the competitive position of these institutions.

The Academics and Student Life Committee will hear from several students during the open session of its Thursday meeting, including a panel from participants in the University’s Internship Placement Program. They will also hear from Valentina Mendoza Gonzalez, former Student Council president and Class of 2025 alumna, who will share reflections on her term, and Clay Dickerson, Student Council President and fourth-year College student, who will share his plans for the next year that he will be in the position.

The Committee on the College at Wise will hear a report Friday morning from Henry on projected fall 2025 enrollment, new housing and the addition of a graduate certificate in technology management and data analytics.

All Thursday meetings will take place at Boar’s Head Inn, while all Friday meetings will take place in the Rotunda. Open sessions of each meeting will be available to stream online.

Previewing the June meeting of the Board of Visitors

At the first full Board meeting of his term, Ken Cuccinelli has proposed an amendment to the Board’s manual, despite opposition from members of the Executive Committee

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