The storm may have dissipated, but a few clouds still linger from University President Teresa Sullivan’s botched ouster as the Board of Visitors convenes on Grounds Thursday for the first time since June. A disconnect remains between the University’s attempts to move forward from the events of the summer and its desire to learn from them.
Community representatives invested in the events that occurred during the summer around University President Teresa Sullivan’s forced resignation sat in front of an eager audience Wednesday afternoon.
In a Board of Visitors committee meeting Wednesday afternoon, University Architect David Neuman presented strategies to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from the University’s 2009 levels.
The Board of Visitors may find itself with a voting student member, if some members of Student Council have their way. But the proposal’s supporters face significant obstacles, not least of which is the legal requirement in Virginia that Board members be approved by the State Senate, House of Delegates and governor. Fourth-year Engineering student Alex Reber, chair of Council’s representative body, is leading an effort to add a student position with voting power to the Board, which is the University’s governing body.
The University maintained its position as the second best public university in the nation in the U.S.
Rector Helen Dragas’ history with firing presidents runs deeper than her botched ouster of President Teresa Sullivan this June. While serving on the Old Dominion Board of Visitors in 1988, her father George Dragas helped force the resignation of President Joseph Marchello citing poor communication with the Board and a general unease with the executive’s management style, according to news reports at the time. Marchello, an accomplished fundraiser, drew praise for his ideas but did not have a positive relationship with the state’s legislators.
The Honor Committee hosted a panel of roundtable speakers in Old Cabell Hall Tuesday to discuss the current state of the University and the honor system.
Student Council introduced its 2012-2013 budget Tuesday evening, appropriating about $90,000 for initiatives this year.
A study released Tuesday by the University’s Law School Clinic showed that more than 7,000 students in Virginia were exempted from attending primary or secondary school on religious grounds last year. Virginia law requires a school board to excuse students who hold a religious belief that conflicts with the principle of classroom education.
Three Olympic athletes had a message for University students assembled Tuesday evening at John Paul Jones arena: Don’t be afraid of failure. Gymnast Jonathan Horton knows what defeat feels like.
As the 2012 presidential election approaches, pundits are speculating about whether young voters will turn out in large numbers, as they did four years ago.
University students hoping to voice their ideas about the future of social messaging will now be able to, thanks to a partnership unveiled Monday night between the University’s OpenGrounds initiative and national communications company Vonage.
The National Science Foundation has awarded the University a five-year, $18.5 million grant to fund a research center for self-powered health devices in partnership with three other schools, the University announced last week in a press release.
Research has established that African Americans and other minority groups are more likely to suffer vascular problems, which are associated with the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Preventative measures the University is taking to keep trespassers off the Rotunda scaffolding could cost the school up to $150,000 more than it had initially budgeted for the roof project, University spokesperson Carol Wood said Sunday. Facilities Management installed the scaffolding during the summer months to allow construction workers to access the Rotunda roof.
The Board of Visitors retreat last month cost more than double its original budget, according to receipts released last week. The University is footing the more than $34,000 bill, with the initial $15,000 budget funded by the University endowment and the excess costs paid for by Board office funds set aside earlier in the annual budgeting process.
J. Milton Adams, who has served as the University’s vice provost for academic programs since 2003, became its inaugural senior vice provost last week as part of a strategic planning initiative aimed at tackling the challenges of higher education. In a letter to President Teresa A.
A male University student was confronted by four individuals at 161 Rugby Road early Sunday morning, according to an email the University Police sent students Sunday.
It was a noisy first week back on Grounds, according to Charlottesville Police, who issued 10 noise regulation citations during the weekend, eight of which were in the University area.
The roof of the University Bookstore is currently being replaced, which adds yet another obstacle to the already construction-ridden Grounds.
