CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The University of Virginia Board of Visitors could name a new president by the end of the day, just five months after former President Jim Ryan was forced to resign under pressure from the Trump administration, according to a report.
The Board “is likely to vote to appoint” Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley as the 10th University President on Friday, the Washington Post reported.
Cville Right Now could not immediately confirm the Post’s reporting.
A 1 p.m. Friday meeting originally posted Dec. 10 as a special committee meeting is now listed as a special meeting of the Board of Visitors.
This comes despite faculty, staff, student and political demands the process be paused until Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger can at least appoint BOV members to five currently-vacant seats.
Ryan resigned in July under pressure from the Trump administration. His resignation allowed UVA to avoid the federal government withholding funding while the Department of Justice investigated the university’s use of diversity, equity and inclusion standards in its admission processes.
In November, Ryan sent a 12-page letter to the Faculty Senate, alleging his ouster was orchestrated by then-incoming rector Rachel Sheridan and incoming vice rector Porter Wilkinson.
Since then, the Faculty Senate has called for both women to resign and for the search to be halted until a full board is in place, and a group of nine of the school’s 14 deans also urged pausing the process of selecting Ryan’s successor.
Spanberger sent a letter to Sheridan and Wilkinson urging them to slow the process until she could make the board whole. When Spanberger takes over as governor next month, she will have the authority to remake the BOV as she sees fit, including filling the five vacancies and replacing current members.
Instead, according to the Washington Post report, Sheridan and the current BOV will press ahead by naming Beardsley.
“Beardsley is serving a record third term through 2028 as ninth dean of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a chaired professor in Strategy, Ethics and Entrepreneurship. An experienced CEO, board chair/director and executive, he serves as CEO of the financially self-sufficient UVA Darden enterprise (Foundation and School) and works with top UVA leadership on University priorities,” Beardsley’s online UVA bio states.
Though, executive search firm Isaacson Miller founder John Isaacson has said the speed of the selection process has been normal, the search has taken a little over half the time it took when Ryan was selected President in 2017.
After Theresa Sullivan announced in January 2017 she was stepping down, a special committee was set that same month.
Ryan was selected by the Board of Visitors as the next President Sept. 15, eight months later.
Ryan announced his retirement in June, stepped down in July, and the current special committee was selected that same month.
