CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – With Jim Ryan stepping down Friday and university chief operating officer Jennifer “J.J.” Davis installed as the acting president, University of Virginia leadership says it will engage a number of stakeholders as they reveal next steps in a Presidential selection process.
The University has set up a webpage on its site for nominations. In a statement, new UVA Board Rector Rachel Sheridan said, “As we begin the process of identifying an interim president to lead the University, the Board of Visitors is committed to working closely with members of our community to hear their perspectives and ensure stability and continuity going forward. Shared governance is a core value of this institution and we will uphold it as we pursue the selection of an interim president, as well as our 10th university president after that.”
UVA has not made Sheridan available to CvilleRightNow.com, despite multiple requests.
People wanting to submit nominations will have to go through a NetBadge process that requires one to receive a digital certificate or log on with UVA computing ID and password. The nomination webpage explains, ‘The selection process will also include listening sessions with small groups of university constituents, including UVA and UVA Health faculty and staff, Academic Division leaders and students. The purpose of the listening sessions is to learn what qualities stakeholders seek in an interim president. The University will seek input from the full University community, including alumni.’
Click here for the nomination page.
Friday, Ryan’s official last day in office, the university’s faculty senate, by a vote of 46-6, passed a resolution of no confidence in the Board of Visitors. The senate believed the Board of Visitors did not protect the university from the outside influence when the Trump administration pressured Ryan to resign for failing to fully dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The justice department sent multiple requests to UVA and Ryan to confirm it was in compliance with the Trump administration’s interpretation of federal civil rights law regarding admissions, according to copies of the correspondence Cville Right Now obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The university did not respond, according to the records released by UVA in response to the FOIA request.
