U Virginia Reportedly Facing Leadership Crisis After President’s Resignation
“Ryan’s resignation was followed closely by the exit of the provost and three senior officials at UVA Health.”
Leadership at the school was apparently hit pretty hard by the end of DEI policies.
Campus Reform reports:
UVA ‘in crisis’ after president and top leaders resign
The University of Virginia is facing a leadership crisis following the resignation of President James E. Ryan and several top administrators amid federal investigations into the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices.
The wave began with the departure of Ryan on June 27. Ryan stepped down amid pressure from the Trump administration and the university’s Board of Visitors over his support for DEI initiatives. Ryan’s resignation was followed closely by the exit of the provost and three senior officials at UVA Health.
These resignations have wiped out the university’s top academic and medical leadership within months.
Following Ryan’s departure, Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell urged the board to delay appointing a new president until after the 2025 gubernatorial election, which could allow for a Democratic governor to reshape the board.
Others are advising the university against inaction.
The Jefferson Council, a network of UVA alumni dedicated to aligning the university more closely with the legacy of Thomas Jefferson, called the silence from remaining leaders “deafening.”
A July 19 post by the Jefferson Council claims the UVA Board of Visitors “appears to be on summer vacation” during the massive shakeup in university leadership and questions why there has been no meeting, despite officials’ power to call a session.
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Comments
I suspect that “leadership” is being over-used here. They were no more leaders than their counterparts at other schools who have attracted attention. I suspoect that they vacated the positions as a way to distract from further attention into their activities. I suspect that rigorous forensic accounting would reveal a lot of hanky panky over the years with funding and program prioritization. OHSU is facing similar scrutiny. It would not surprise me if we see a wave of lawsuits in the near future over hiring and promotion decisions at a lot of institutions.
My Ph.D. in Philosophy was from UVa, where I also taught Logic. The power structure at UVa was sorely in need of reengineering — as is, of course, that of many/most universities.
I wonder if this is related to the ACC and it’s impending demise. Lots of athletic chatter about whether UVA will split from UNC and join the ‘Big Ten’ and Southeastern conferences respectively.