President Sullivan leaving

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Virginia
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<p>The following posting was taken from the Parents forum here at CC:</p>

<p>"Rector Dragas released a statement yesterday that reiterated her “heartfelt apologies for the pain, anger and confusion that has swept the Grounds over the last 10 days,” and explained why the Board of Visitors voted to oust Presdient Sullivan. The Washington Post has a link to the pdf version of the statement at </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/r/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/06/21/Local/Graphics/Dragas%20Statement%20120621%20FINAL.pdf[/url]”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/r/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/06/21/Local/Graphics/Dragas%20Statement%20120621%20FINAL.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you right click on the document and then click on Document Properties, you see that the listed author is not Helen Dragas but John Ullyot, a senior vice president at Hill & Knowlton. It had been reported in various outlets that the BoV had hired Hill & Knowlton to help with PR, so it is not a surprise that H&K would be involved. But it is major gaffe to leave fingerprints on the pages."</p>

<p>That’s some PR firm that Dragas hired.</p>

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<p>WINA link: </p>

<p>[Zeithaml</a> Stepping Away From Interim President Position - 1070 WINA](<a href=“http://www.wina.com/Zeithaml-Stepping-Away-From-Interim-President-Posi/13523798]Zeithaml”>http://www.wina.com/Zeithaml-Stepping-Away-From-Interim-President-Posi/13523798)</p>

<p>This is a good indicator of things to come.</p>

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<p>Woosah - I just saw this on the UVa webpage and thought this is very well done on Mr. Zeithami’s part. He has such a fine line to walk but it appears he has no hesitation knowing where that line is for him personally.</p>

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<p>Agreed BlueIguana. I for one have the utmost of respect for him.</p>

<p>I like this related article by a UVa alum: </p>

<p><a href=“http://ideas.time.com/2012/06/22/uvas-ouster-a-symptom-of-our-reboot-culture/[/url]”>http://ideas.time.com/2012/06/22/uvas-ouster-a-symptom-of-our-reboot-culture/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I haven’t had too much time to check in here since this started and it’s interesting to read your comments. </p>

<p>

Do you all think this is the pervasive feeling off Grounds? If the Rector resigned or wasn’t reappointed and the President was reinstated, what would your overall opinion of UVa be?</p>

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<p>Dean J: the reaction of the UVA community to this situation has been incredible. While I do think that the BoV’s actions damaged the university, if Dragas leaves and Sullivan returns I think the take away message is that UVA learned and grew even stronger as a result. What an amazing institution to be a part of. Parent, Class of 2015.</p>

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<p>I don’t know that it’s easy to say what the end damage is going to be here. Are there any historical reference points? Two weeks ago, more than half the board apparently thought that President Sullivan wasn’t taking the school in the right direction, and now, let’s be frank, do to public pressure, some of them have changed their mind.</p>

<p>It’s hard to say what the damage to the school will be, but I do think a lot of people will think twice before accepting a position on the Board of Visitors.</p>

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<p>I think there will be a number of positive changes that will result from this. </p>

<p>It was extremely impressive to see the faculty of UVA come together and work for what was right. I hope they are able to obtain a position on the BOV. A balanced BOV, with academics included, is critical to restore credibility to the governing body, IMHO. I am appalled and disgusted with the underhanded way President Sullivan was ousted. It is not the UVA way. </p>

<p>President Sullivan has earned the admiration and respect of many people, myself included. I am the first to admit I was not a huge fan of hers previously but I now count myself as a supporter and a fan. The thoroughness of her work, the grace and dignity with which she has conducted herself through this debacle has demonstrated to everyone everywhere what a great leader she is. </p>

<p>I have spent the past three years of D’s enrollment defending her decision to go to UVA. We are instate and she is in SEAS. “Why didn’t she go to Tech?” Totally different student experience. There are always going to be people who think UVA is overrated; what they are missing is that a great University is more than academics alone or where you rank on USNWR or some obscure academic site; yes, UVA has a lot of work to do but the past few weeks have shown is that UVA is up to the challenge.</p>

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<p>As someone who is almost a complete outsider to UVa:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>There is little attention to this north of the Beltway.</p></li>
<li><p>To a very large extent, I agree with susanbpr: It is impressive and inspiring how the various communities around UVa have rise up nearly as one to reject an action that seems to have been poorly considered and was carried out in an underhanded way. I am really moved by how much so many people care about the university, and by the relatively high tone of debate. I think this has energized the UVa world, too, reminding people about their love of the institution and what it stands for, and connecting them strongly with one another. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>In a sense, it’s like the New Coke/Coke Classic fiasco. Coke was losing market share to Pepsi steadily until it tried to make a change in response, whereupon the entire world rose as one, demanded the old Coke back, and started drinking a lot more of it. (For a while, at least.) New Coke was the stupidest, most poorly considered strategic move ever, and paradoxically it ushered in a new age of commercial dominance by Coke that would never have happened otherwise.</p>

<p>The message to Virginia’s politicians is great, too. The Board of Visitors isn’t an appropriate place to stash contributors as an honor.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>On the other hand, it’s hard for me to believe that the Board of Visitors was really as loopy and out of it as they appear to be. I bet there’s some fire there, in addition to all the smoke. Rector Dragas, by being underhanded, winds up having made it impossible for there to be any honest debate about her ideas and her concerns, at least for the time being. She may not be right, but it’s unlikely that she’s completely wrong, too. So there are some real challenges to work through, and probably some residual suspicion between the president and the Board of Visitors. (Not to mention between the president and the COO, who seems to have been more involved in the coup than one would have hoped, or between the university administration and some of the large donors who may have been behind the whole deal.)</p></li>
<li><p>The upcoming Board of Visitors appointments represent something of a wild card. The Governor can substantially re-shape the Board, and he almost has to now, even if he would rather not. He has to pay attention to whom he is appointing, and give them some clear instructions about their roles. I don’t see how he can re-appoint Dragas without taking sides, and I’m pretty sure he would prefer not to do that. But he has to appoint someone Rector, and someone Vice Rector, and those people are going to be important in the coming years.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>Two years ago, a majority of the BOV thought Sullivan was the bomb. As of 13 days ago a majority of the BOV thought that Sullivan was so bad she needed the boot. Now a majority of the same BOV (less one member) thinks she great again? That doesn’t convince me that reinstating Sullivan is going to work out so good, especially since the BOV that reinstates her is about change again.</p>

<p>What is the problem with the BOVs other than Dragas and Kington (who at least are consistent in their thinking and actions)? Are those other BOVs stupid or just negligent? Or are they just really good at following the way the wind happens to be blowing at any particular point in time?</p>

<p>Presumably Sullivan (who will still have whatever her perceived shortcomings were) comes back as a lame duck caretaker president for the next three years and then moves on. And don’t expect PTJ to be sending that $100 million check during the balance of Sullivan’s tenure.</p>

<p>Hopefully this tornado will get Virginians and their elected representatives to figure out what they really want to do with UVA. Once they get that figured out, then they’d be in a position to get good leadership to implement that plan. I totally agree with Dragas that this should have been (but apparently was not) done at the time of the search for Casteen’s replacement.</p>

<p>I’d also love to know who Sullivan’s replacement was supposed to be. It seems like somebody pretty interesting had been lined up.</p>

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<p>It’s not that the rest of the BoV keeps on changing their mind for the most part. Going into the meeting on Monday the BoV had 8 votes to re-instate President Sullivan, but at that time there was 16 members on the BoV which means that it was not a majority. Now that Kington resigned from the Vice-Rector post there are only 15 members of the BoV and the 8 votes is now a majority.</p>

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<p>Rector Dragas had Johns Hopkins CEO Edward Miller, M.D. lined up to take over the presidency. He’s actually an “ex-officio” member of the BoV.</p>

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<p>Two weeks ago there had to be at least 9 (and probably more) of 16 BOVs who would vote to oust Sullivan. If now 8 of 15 want her back, that means there’s several flip floppers on the board.</p>

<p>The Hopkins CEO is 69 years old, so he would have just been interim. I’m curious who Sullivan’s permanent replacement was going to be. It feels like they had someone lined up.</p>

<p>Think how screwed up the BOV will be if Sullivan comes back. Several of Sullivan’s supporters are departing in the next few days and will be replaced by new McDonnell appointees. And the board leadership of the rector and vice rector (who would have become the new rector) will be gone. </p>

<p>Part of this disaster was caused by McDonnell ax-ing the prior vice-rector. He would have been a major player in the search committee and would have been the rector that Sullivan would have had to work with in the usual progression. Adding and dropping visitors and rectors willy nilly (which happened to Kington) just because of their gubernatorial campaign contributions is awful corporate governance.</p>

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<p>Speaking as a UVA grad, I think the debate has been largely very respectable. I can say I had not thought much about online courses being offered, and I assumed the faculty was stable and top quality as always. Looking more carefully, I’m not sure that the argument that it is not top-notch is accurate, but this has certainly made me take more note rather than going blithely along assuming everything was idyllic in Charlottesville. I love the outpouring of support and solidarity I have seen, and I really think positive changes and greater communication will come as the future of President Sullivan becomes clear and the University community and friends move forward. There may be a silver lining to this, if that is the case.</p>

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<p>Is everyone positive that Dr. Sullivan still wants this job?</p>

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<p>Rally for Honor on the Lawn on Sunday at 2 pm. Lots of great speakers are lined up, including some of the most popular faculty members. Be there, or be docile.</p>

<p>This rally is to let the Board know we want President Sullivan re-instated on Tuesday, and to let the Governor and the Legislature know that we want reforms in the process of selecting appointees to the Board of Visitors. The amount of campaign contributions to the winning Governor’s campaign should not be primary selection criteria. </p>

<p>We also need at least a couple of the board members to be people who understand higher education - such as retired faculty or retired administrators from UVa or other universities. For example, Harvard’s board includes top professors and administrators from other universities. </p>

<p>For much more info and discussion check out the Facebrook group Students, Family, & Friends United to Reinstate President Sullivan</p>

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<p>President Sullivan has indicated that if the Rector is removed that she would be interested in returning.</p>

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<p>I have not been able to figure out what the CEO of the Johns Hopkins Medical System is doing as an “ex officio” member of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors. What office does he hold that puts him automatically on the Board? </p>

<p>Lots of university boards have ex officio members, but they tend to be people like the university president or the governor of the state. (Remember what happened when the Penn State board fired Joe Paterno and Graham Spanier: the Governor of Pennsylvania showed up at the board meeting in his capacity as an ex officio member, and participated – aggressively – in its deliberations. No one could remember the last time a governor had actually participated in a board meeting.) The Governor of Connecticut is an ex officio member of the Yale Corporation, and the Governor of New Jersey is an ex officio Trustee of Princeton.</p>

<p>When Harvard axed Larry Summers, and Cornell axed Jeffrey Lehman, in each case the (strong) predecessor president came back as interim president, which did a great deal to calm the waters and build confidence. I think one of the many miscalculations Dragas et al. made here was thinking that they would be able to sell Miller as an interim president.</p>

<p>As for the inconsistency of the Board of Visitors, what happened is that Dragas seems to have met with many of them one-on-one, and she decided that she had the votes to oust Sullivan. It’s entirely possible – likely, even – that she would never have had all those votes in an open meeting, and that at least some of the people whose votes she pretended to have did not understand that they were authorizing her to act. (I have been told that in the Cornell case, which was very similar, an informal post-hoc poll showed that there had never been a majority of the Board of Trustees in favor of ousting the president. The board Chair, who was driving the process, just as at Virginia, was a good poker player, and he played his hand exceptionally well.)</p>

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<p>She has said she would like to stay on, assuming Rector Dragas does not, and with the understanding that the lines of communication will work more efficiently.</p>

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<p>JHS – all of your surmises about the BOVs interactions are consistent with my views of them – they have to be one or more of the following: stupid, negligent, or flip-flopping followers. Especially because this whole thing had been brewing for 6-9 months.</p>