The University of Virginia is in a tail spin. The campus’s governing authority, the Board of Visitors, ousted the University’s popular president, Teresa Sullivan.
The board announced the president’s resignation June 10, citing a desire to move more quickly on several areas of reform. The board voted on an interim president; he was scheduled to take over August 16.
Friday, the interim president cited the groundswell of support for Teresa Sullivan’s reinstatement as the motivation for the decision to suspend preparations to lead the University. On Thursday, deans and other University leaders unanimously called for Sullivan’s reinstatement. Afterward, the board announced a meeting Tuesday to resolve the issue.
In a letter, Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell writes: “But let me be absolutely clear: I want final action by the Board on Tuesday. If you fail to do so, I will ask for the resignation of the entire Board on Wednesday. Regardless of your decision, I expect you to make a clear, detailed and unified statement on the future leadership of the University.”
Now that’s leadership. Perhaps it will spread southward to North Carolina and solve the ongoing athletic-academic crisis at UNC Chapel Hill?