<p>UVA’s greatest concern over this soap opera is not losing a few top OOS students or falling below Michigan or UNC in rankings. It’s losing in-state students and falling below William & Mary and Va Tech.<br>
Yes, all the tiger mom’s that want their kid at an elite school see what is happening at UVA. It needs to end quickly to limit further damage.</p>
<p>jc40, I don’t know the answer to your question, but I think that two of the very reasons she is so well-liked and respected, for being open and communicative, ultimately worked against her in the eyes of this BOV. It’s ironic, because they, too, had to have known UVA was falling behind in the same areas she highlighted, but, to those who think they know it all it “stings”. Hearing it laid out so bluntly from someone they may have seen as an “outsider”; someone who doesn’t have many former ties to their university didn’t sit well with them obviously. </p>
<p>I have a question, too, that maybe someone can answer. Has anything like this ever happened before at a university? Not the removal of a pres, I mean the possible reconsideration of a resignation/firing? If so, what was the eventual outcome? Just curious.</p>
<p>bud123, if UVA is allowed to do what Dean J spoke to earlier, maintain its strength in the areas it is known for, they will be fine when IS kids try to decide where to go. </p>
<p>I believe they will see repercussions with their IS pool if they try to “do it all”. I just don’t think it can be done in this economy, with the lack of funding from this state and with the strength of the other two mentioned schools. Small college LAC at WM and STEM programs at VT. I say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Their undergraduate educational strengths weren’t anywhere close to being broke.</p>
<p>Bud 123 – I respectfully disagree. None of WM, Tech and UVA will have any problem filling seats at a sticker price of $20k to smart VA kids regardless of what the relative rankings of those three are. Those schools have sufficiently different student experiences that some kids will gravitate to each of those three.</p>
<p>The 30% of the enrollment (and the two thirds of the tuition dollars) that come from OOS are much more at risk and subject to the whims of rankings and prestige. If UVA’s ranking drops into the 30s because of its weak financial resources grade, it becomes much tougher to sell seats at its current price point of 90+% of full private school sticker. UVA’s price point relative to private schools used to be a lot lower – more like what Carolina’s (70%) still is. And since UVA’s financial resources rank is lower than all of its state flagship peers, watch out if UVA starts lagging those guys in the rankings.</p>
<p>Dragas responds to Gov. McDonnell</p>
<p>[Rector</a> Dragas responds to McDonnell’s statement | The Cavalier Daily](<a href=“http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2012/06/22/rector-dragas-responds-to-mcdonnells-statement/]Rector”>http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2012/06/22/rector-dragas-responds-to-mcdonnells-statement/)</p>
<p>She is absolutely unreal.</p>
<p>Dragas=Salt in a wound</p>
<p>This does not help in the healing process. Did not think she could make it any worse, apparently I was wrong. Thank you Governor. I think I liked it better when you turned a blind eye.</p>
<p>KandKsmom “I believe they will see repercussions with their IS pool if they try to “do it all”. I just don’t think it can be done in this economy, with the lack of funding from this state and with the strength of the other two mentioned schools. Small college LAC at WM and STEM programs at VT. I say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Their undergraduate educational strengths weren’t anywhere close to being broke.”</p>
<p>Exactly. It’s impossible with limited resources to have every program be ranked in the top 10 among American universities. While STEM is all the rage there shouldn’t be an issue with having a credible, but not top 10, STEM progam. Maintain the current strengths of the university in the pre-professional schools and also liberal arts. I could make an argument for selectively paring down some aspects of STEM and providing more focus to the remaining STEM areas.</p>
<p>I just read that Tim Kaine has said publicly that Terry Sullivan should be reinstated. Considering he put Dragas on the Board, that is huge to me.</p>
<p>I have also read that Dr. Sullivan has indicated she won’t take back the position unless Dragas resigns. (I don’t know if that has actually been quoted by TS somewhere or not) </p>
<p>McDonnell said they need to do something definitive by Tuesday or he dismisses the lot of them on Wednesday. If Dragas plays hardball, which, from that reply she seems like she is going to, and doesn’t resign, and if they offer the job back to TS, do you all think she will take it immediately? Or does she wait to see what McDonnell does on Wednesday regarding the Board? For someone who has tried to “stay out of it”, I think Bob McD has really put himself in a spot making that statement today.</p>
<p>marrob4 said-</p>
<p>“One of the indelible memories from this whole debacle will be the reports in The Washington Post and New York Times (among many other media outlets ) of the president describing UVA as essentially overrated. I can’t help but believe that will make many top students think twice before committing to go there in the future.”</p>
<p>TRUE- The fact this went public hurt UVA. It aso questioned my and my husbands decision in having supported our son to go there (class of 2016). </p>
<p>THough there is all this HOPLA going on, which I think is crazy, and dont agree with what happened, I do think that this statement will hurt UVA both in-state (we are) and out of state. Right now it seems burried but will resurface if UVA does not get to their feet quickly!</p>
<p>Also, this was not brought up, but what was Pres. Sullivan thinking when she was told to step down and there was no good reason to justify it. Why didn’t she stand up and fight for her position, her thought, her school and students/faculty and demand that she receive things being done fairly. It’s like she was bullied… OR did I miss something? Everyone is fighting for her but I dont see her doing much fighting.<br>
Her husband is a lawyer and wasn’t it obviuos Dragas did not do things correctly?</p>
<p>I"m glad the Gov. finally stepped in but he needs to fire Dragas asap. Sullivan, if she comes back - which I think is the best thing - needs to get a PR agent to fix things and also this statement. Esp hurtful when kids give up Ivy leagues and other prestigious and top rated schools to go to UVA.</p>
<p>
All of the media reports about it point to her being told the opposite.</p>
<p>This makes me wonder if more people off Grounds have missed some of the pertinent details.</p>
<p>[UVa</a> archive of statements, videos, and media coverage, by date<a href=“really%20helpful%20site”>/url</a>:<br>
[url=<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/u-va-the-ouster-of-teresa-sullivan/gJQAHmocvV_topic.html]WaPo”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/u-va-the-ouster-of-teresa-sullivan/gJQAHmocvV_topic.html]WaPo</a> coverage, by date](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/keyissues/presidential-transition/]UVa”>http://www.virginia.edu/keyissues/presidential-transition/)
[Cavalier</a> Daily pieces, by date](<a href=“http://www.cavalierdaily.com/section/news/]Cavalier”>News - The Cavalier Daily - University of Virginia's Student Newspaper)
[CvilleNews</a> also has some good summaries from early on](<a href=“http://cvillenews.com/"]CvilleNews”>http://cvillenews.com/).</p>
<p>Every school has PR office. [Ours</a> is called Public Affairs](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/publicaffairs/]Ours”>http://www.virginia.edu/publicaffairs/). They put together that great archive I linked to above. I’m not sure move money needs to go to a PR firm at this point…but I obviously don’t make those decisions. :)</p>
<p>interesting:</p>
<p>Waldo Jaquith, a Charlottesville-based information expert with experience both in the White House and with Charlottesville’s General Assembly reveals via Twitter Friday night, June 22, that a reliable source in the governor’s office informs him that McDonnell intends to reappoint embattled Rector Dragas when her term expires at the end of the month.</p>
<p>[McDonnell</a> to BOV: Make a final decision or else | The Hook - Charlottesville’s weekly newspaper, news magazine](<a href=“http://www.readthehook.com/104349/mcdonnell-bov-make-decision-or-else]McDonnell”>http://www.readthehook.com/104349/mcdonnell-bov-make-decision-or-else)</p>
<p>If Clarions source is correct then shame on McDonnell if he does reappoint her. The tides will then turn on him, his political donations as well as Romney’s. If a student at UVa did what Dragas did they would be asked to leave, period. It is about honor which she has none. I think they don’t want to set a precedent in which faculty, students, alum, staff and Virginians can feel like they can overturn a governing board. However this is a very unique case because of the way it was handled. Maybe their whole view of this has been skewed. By her response it certainly seems that way. This isn’t solely about bringing back Sullivan it is about restoring trust and honor to the University. It is about a transparent board. Does Dragas believe that an after the fact apology and then an I am still right mentality is going to change anything? </p>
<p>We do have a voice Governor McDonnell and Ms. Dragas as well as members of the BOV. It is called the first Amendment. If you want what is best for the University have your vote on Tuesday and no matter your decision on Sullivan the glaring point of all this is Dragas has to leave. Even if Sullivan is not reinstated my faith and trust in UVa will not be restored until Dragas is gone.</p>
<p>
Wow. I was not expecting to read that. So then what? Whom can the BOV hire to fix this problem and reunite the UVA community? Who could possibly do it? If Dragas stays, any new president will be fighting ill will for years and that’s going to hamper effectiveness as a fundraiser.</p>
<p>Tuesday will tell.</p>
<p>But, I would rather wait for solidly-sourced information, hopefully from an unbiased source, rather than react based on twitter feeds from clearly biased sources. Waldo is not an unbiased source.</p>
<p>Waldo, who is behind some good services like VAcode.org and Richmond Sunlight, put that out on his CvilleNews.com Twitter and someone immediately wrote that their own “inside” source didn’t agree. [Waldo</a> wonders if he was fed bad information](<a href=“http://cvillenews.com/2012/06/23/mcdonell-weighs-in/"]Waldo”>McDonnell Finally Weighs In; Will He Reappoint Dragas? | cvillenews.com).</p>
<p>When we’re so passionate about UVa, it’s tempting to jump on every bit of news. I think AVA55 is right. Time will tell.</p>
<p>Even if she stays and gets re-appointed, Dragas will not be Rector after July 1. Had Kington not resigned, he automatically would become Rector on July 1. I’m betting that this is the end game:</p>
<p>Sullivan gets the reinstatement vote but there’s no conditions attached. The inmates can’t viewed as having the power to get the asylum boss fired. Sullivan folds and accepts the job, knowing that Dragas staying or leaving makes zero difference and that Sullivan will be untouchable for her remaining three years. </p>
<p>Dragas would be just one of 17 board members with no special powers. Sullivan also knows that the go-forward BOV is going to be loaded with McDonnell appointees regardless. There’s one vacancy from Kington, one new spot created by the new law, two vacancies coming from Key and Fralin (who are term limited). Keeping Dragas or having a new appointee with the same viewpoint – who cares? While the new Rector and Vice Rector won’t be Dragas and Kington, they will be people who likely voted to oust Sullivan, so no difference. </p>
<p>If Sullivan doesn’t cave, then maybe the Gov boots the whole board and he gets 17 new appointments plus a new UVA president. Rather than see Dragas and McDonnell and Tudor Jones get complete victory,
Sullivan stays and happily serves out her well compensated term and retires in three years. Dragas punches the clock on the BOV, perhaps moving on in a year or so. All sides can claim a win and save face.</p>
<p>This leak from the Gov, if true, would be a clear signal to Sullivan about what her options are.</p>
<p>I just hope that UVA uses those three years productively addressing the serious issues that Sullivan and Dragas and Tudor Jones have all identified. If that happens then maybe this whole tornado will have produced some good.</p>
<p>John Tudor Jones is no cicerone.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m stuck on something…why would Sullivan say disparaging remarks about UVa in a forum where she knew her commentary would be public? Don’t get me wrong, if there are indeed “gaps” the president not only has every right but every obligation to make these defiencies known so that measures can be taken to rectify the problems. However, pointing out these shortcomings should be done in a private venue. I teach at a private prep, and there are three other large competing preps in our community. Part of my contract actually mandates that I must always represent my school in a favorable manner and cannot say negative comments outside the walls of a faculty meeting. Failure to do so is grounds for termination. All four schools compete with one another, and if a faculty member or administrator makes damning comments in the community, credibility and faith in the school is eroded. Therefore, I’m just baffled at why Sullivan did this. There’s a thing called allegiance and loyalty. Yes, the whole BOV fiasco is one of the reasons the school’s image has been tarnished over the past two weeks and I think the way they handled or rather mishandled the situation was deplorable; however, I contend Sullivan should shoulder some of the blame as well. First, one does not give ammunition to the competition. Secondly, when you’re trying to sell your product and recruit potential Wahoos, is it wise for a president to broadcast that the school is behind in student and faculty expenditures? Would a Toyota salesman tell a customer, “We’ve got a solid car, but Honda has a better…?” There must be something I’m not seeing. 
</p>
<p>UVa paid for a consulting report (WAG Report) around 2007 that said nearly exactly the same thing and was shared in the same venue–BOV and it was on the website for many years.</p>
<p>jc40, It seems like the May 3rd memo was originally to the Rector and Vice Rector, an internal memo. The memo lays out positives as well as areas of concern . It looks like it was released to the public after this all started in June with the BOV but not sure of that? Perhaps someone can clarify that.I actually would be concerned with a May 3rd memo from a President of a university who acted as if everything was totally great and there was no need for improvement anywhere.</p>