Glenn Youngkin is taking an active approach to higher education in Virginia. You love to see it.
Inside Higher Ed reports:
A ‘Heavy-Handed’ ApproachVirginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has rankled Democratic state lawmakers and some higher ed advocates by seeking to influence the search for a new chancellor of the state’s community college system. Some see his intrusion in the search as part of a broader, more heavy-handed approach to overseeing the state’s colleges and universities and trying to set their agenda and control their policies and practices.Youngkin has been pushing the Virginia State Board for Community Colleges to involve his administration in the search process for the system’s new chancellor after Glenn DuBois, the former chancellor, announced his retirement last summer. The board relented last week and agreed to put a nonvoting representative of Youngkin’s administration on the search committee after he sent members a strongly worded letter saying they could fully “commit” to the search or leave their roles.”While I know that the final decision rests with the VCCS Board, our team is excited and eager to work with you to find this exceptional leader as soon as possible,” Youngkin wrote in the letter last month. “As we start a new fiscal year on July 1st, I earnestly ask you to fully commit to this challenge and opportunity. If for any reason you feel like you cannot commit to this mission, I will accept your resignation by June 30th with gratitude for your service.”Douglas Garcia, the incoming board chair and chair of the chancellor search committee, said in a statement last week that the board was “committed to working with the governor and his team.”
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