The University will now have its third president in two months as the Board of Visitors announced the appointment of Paul G. Mahoney as interim president at a special meeting Aug. 4. Mahoney previously served as dean of the School of Law from 2008 to 2016 and is a distinguished Law professor. He will serve in his new role until the search for a new permanent president is completed.
Mahoney’s appointment comes after former President Jim Ryan’s sudden resignation announcement in June under pressure from the Department of Justice. Jennifer Wagner Davis, executive vice president and chief operating officer, served as acting president following Ryan’s departure and until Mahoney assumed his post Monday.
“My immediate goal is to stabilize our affairs so that we can focus on our core mission of education, research, and patient care,” Mahoney said in a statement to the University community. “I look forward to working with this remarkable community to advance this great University.”
Mahoney joined the University Law School faculty in 1990 and served as academic associate dean of the School of Law from 1999 to 2004.
Having assumed his role as Law dean during the Great Recession, Mahoney has experience dealing with times of challenge for the school. Reporting by The Cavalier Daily throughout his tenure reflects some of his greatest successes, including boosting the Law school’s ranking and exceeding fundraising goals.
Current Law School Dean Leslie Kendrick spoke in support of Mahoney’s appointment in a U.Va. Today article, emphasizing his leadership as Law School dean during the 2008 financial crisis which she said helped the institution become stronger than ever.
“Paul Mahoney is a brilliant and seasoned leader who is deeply invested in the success of the University,” Kendrick said. “Across the eight years of his deanship, he worked tirelessly toward one goal: the long-term health of the institution.”
In 2009, Mahoney presided over the Law school’s investigation into student allegations of misconduct by a Law professor. In that case, students reported their allegations to Ryan, who was the academic associate dean of the Law school at the time. Their allegations included the use of racist and misogynistic hypotheticals and favoritism in grading.
In 2022, Mahoney also signed a letter with 16 other faculty which responded to The Cavalier Daily’s Editorial Board, which had written that former Vice President Mike Pence should not have been given a platform to speak at the University. Signatories said in the letter that the Board’s editorial was antithetical to the First Amendment.
“Those of us who support free speech do so, in part, because, in a democratic society, none of us can see the whole truth and all of us benefit from being exposed to perspectives that may comprehend some aspect of the truth better than we do,” signatories wrote.
After leaving his position as dean, Mahoney continued to do research at the University. Mahoney’s research focuses on areas such as law and economic development, corporate finance and securities regulations. The Federalist Society at the University, a conservative and libertarian legal group, named an award for Mahoney, which his wife has won twice, including in its inaugural year.
He authored a 2015 book titled “Wasting a Crisis: Why Securities Regulation Fails,” in which he discusses New Deal era securities reforms as a response to the Great Depression. In the book, he also critiques the Dodd-Frank Act which was signed by President Obama in 2010 and introduced stricter regulations on financial institutions for consumer protection, following the 2007-08 financial crisis.
Prior to this, Mahoney practiced with Sullivan & Cromwell law firm in New York beginning in 1986. He attended Yale Law School to obtain his J.D. and clerked for Judge Ralph K. Winter Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals as well as Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court.
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Mahoney has donated a total of $15,000 to Republican political candidates and campaigns but has not made any donations since 2020. In 2017, Mahoney made two $5,000 donations to the campaigns of Republican candidate Ed Gillespie in the Virginia gubernatorial election and John Donley Adams, the Republican candidate for Virginia attorney general, both of whom ultimately lost their respective elections.
The Board encouraged participation from the University community during the search for an interim president, including through the use of listening sessions and a feedback form where nominees for the position could be submitted, though they never released the results or submissions.
Mahoney sent an email to the University community on his first day as interim president Monday. In it, Mahoney said that he has been privileged to learn from students and staff on Grounds during his 35 years on faculty. He said he anticipates speaking with University community members in the coming weeks to stabilize and focus on the University’s various responsibilities.
Mahoney thanked Davis for stepping in as acting president and went on to thank former President Ryan for his work during his term. Mahoney closed his email stating that he welcomes feedback and questions from community members.
“I also wish to thank my friend and colleague Jim Ryan, who served with dignity, decency, and good will,” Mahoney said. “I’m delighted that he will return to the faculty, where a new generation of students will benefit from his brilliance and humanity.”
Mahoney told UVA Today that he is honored and humbled to serve as interim president and to support the University community. He thanked the Board for its decision and said he would focus on continuing the University’s work in various realms.
“As a longtime member of this community, I care deeply about U.Va.’s education, research and patient-care mission and look forward to continuing that important work together,” Mahoney said.
The University has also announced a special search committee to find a new permanent president. Similarly, the committee includes members from different parts of the University community, including students, faculty and alumni. The search for a permanent University president will continue during Mahoney’s term.
“I thank the Board for the trust they have placed in me, and for arriving at this decision in a manner consistent with the University’s core values of shared governance, academic freedom and student self-governance,” Mahoney said.
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