The resignations of five Board of Visitors members and the subsequent appointment of 10 new members Jan. 17 by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) was characterized by several University student leaders as relieving. Some students also said the previous Board acted with malfeasance, and expressed their gratitude for Spanberger’s appointments which, according to the students, are more bipartisan in their political views than former members.
The Board is responsible for the hiring and firing of University presidents and also approves policies such as the University budget. Former Rector Rachel Sheridan and former Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson are two of the now-resigned members. The positions of rector and vice rector serve to lead the Executive Committee and preside over the Board in the rector’s absence, respectively.
Semony Shah, University Democrats president and third-year Commerce student, said she is happy Spanberger selected individuals who seem to be more committed to the University as an institution rather than what she characterized as members interested in politicizing the Board. The 10 appointees have varied their political donations to Republican and Democratic candidates, though the majority of their donations have been to Democrat candidacies. At least four members have donated to Republican-affiliated candidates or organizations.
Shah also noted her hope for the Board to reestablish a relationship with the student body.
“I think initial thoughts [of the resignations are] that sense of relief, but also definitely feeling like there's more of a forward-looking path here,” Shah said. “Hopefully with this new Board, we're able to bring back that trust that I think students and faculty have kind of lost with the actions of the previous Board.”
Shah specified that in regard to the students’ relationship with the Board, University Democrats hope to receive “clear, proactive and transparent” communication from the Board regarding any decision-making going forward.
College Republicans denied a request for comment on the recent resignations and appointments to the Board.
Several student leaders also noted they were satisfied that the 10 appointees bring the Board to a lawful constitution. According to Virginia law, a legitimate governing Board of a public institution of higher education is required to be composed of 17 members, with at least 12 of those being Commonwealth residents and 12 being University alumni. Prior to the Jan. 17 appointments, the Board did not meet those requirements.
Raheem Bashir, Class of 2029 president and first-year College student, said he believes the Board has been brought back to “full strength” in terms of membership because all vacancies have been filled since the appointments Jan. 17. However, he said the new Board will still need to gain trust through the way they engage with University President Scott Beardsley and the University community.
“Having a [fully] constituted Board should help create clear lines of governance and hopefully more stability around leadership positions,” Bashir said. “I have full trust that what [the new Board does] will be for the benefit of the University.”
In a statement to The Cavalier Daily, Allison McVey, University Judiciary Committee chair and fourth-year College student, said that she hopes that the new Board will uphold student self-governance at the University.
“Student self-governance is one of the University’s most enduring features, and one which should thrive and flourish under the leadership of any Board,” McVey wrote.
Thomas Ackleson, Honor Committee chair and fourth-year Engineering student, expressed similar sentiments to McVey. Ackleson said that the Committee looks forward to the continued support of the Board to uphold community trust.
Some student leaders shared feelings that Spanberger’s appointments reveal her respect for faculty and student voices. After several calls to include greater student voices in the presidential search went unanswered by the Board, Keoni Vega, Class of 2026 president and fourth-year College student, said the events Jan. 17 proved to be a step in the right direction to incorporate student concerns into University governance.
“I am happy with what [Spanberger] did, and I think that we are hopefully entering a new era where the actual constituencies of this school will be listened to and respected,” Vega said.
Over the past seven months that led to the Jan. 17 appointments, the University has seen an array of callings that the Board acted wrongfully related to events such as former University President Jim Ryan’s pressured resignation and the appointment of Beardsley.
Many groups like Student Council, the Faculty Senate and the University’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors released votes of no confidence in the Board throughout the summer and fall, stating the search processes for both the interim president and for Beardsley were rushed and lacked transparency.
Clay Dickerson, Student Council president and fourth-year College student, noted he is glad the five members resigned, but also said that the new Board will need to make up for the damage caused by the lost members.
“I was relieved to see [the five Board members] go. I think it was a good thing for [the] University,” Dickerson said. “It is a step in the right direction, although the work is not done to get justice for what has been happening at the University of Virginia.”
Fourth-year College student Seamus Oliver additionally agreed that the resignations are beneficial to the University, but noted the loss of the five members does not address the specific concerns of University members. Oliver said the statements condemning the Board since Ryan’s resignation had requests — including to have increased student representation on the presidential search committee — which he said are issues that can only be fixed by the Board taking action, not by members resigning.
“[The votes of no confidence never] said these five individuals specifically are the cause of all these problems,” Oliver said. “It was, ‘we have these problems because of these people and in their professional capacity and in their duty to the University [they must] go about solving them.’”
With many students expressing hope for Spanberger’s 10 Board appointees, they still require confirmation by the General Assembly to assume their roles. However, the new members are permitted to begin serving upon appointment, according to Virginia law. If the appointees are confirmed, the Board would officially transition from a majority of Republican governor-appointed members to a Democrat governor-appointed majority.
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