<p>^ I knew you knew it was Gilmore. I just wanted to get it right for others here. Thanks, I tried again with just “Save Jefferson’s” then “see more results” and it’s the first option.</p>
<p>edit to add: Gee, after hazel’s report of no prob searching I must work on fb searching skills. ;)</p>
<p>I found the letter on the page by searching for “Save Jefferson’s Academical Village” on fb</p>
<p><a href=“http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/news/2012/jun/14/tdmain01-ouster-protested-at-uva-ar-1986789/[/url]”>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/news/2012/jun/14/tdmain01-ouster-protested-at-uva-ar-1986789/</a></p>
<p>Prepare to get even angrier when you read these latest revelations. President Sullivan had met in April with Dept. chairs and told them the Board was pressuring her to “lop off” parts of the university because they were “underperforming”. </p>
<h2>…“Her point of view was that you don’t get rid of a department like classics, for example, just because it doesn’t produce enough graduates. There are parts of a university that need to be part of a university regardless of how many graduates they have,” said Leblang."</h2>
<p>“Meanwhile, university officials interviewed two consultants with strong ties to Dominion Resources Inc. about the possibility of working with the university as it attempts to manage the turmoil. The university approached Dominion for recommendations…The consultants …are retired from senior public affairs positions at Dominion, on whose board of directors Dragas and Mark J. Kington, the vice rector, serve. Dominion CEO Thomas Farrell is a former U.Va. rector.”</p>
<p>I guess the Board can pay for their new PR campaign with the savings from firing the Classics professors.</p>
<p>The governor just gave an interview in which he said he won’t get involved, but he has faith in the Board of Visitors because they have lots of experience in running businesses.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the faculty is planning on a silent protest, while dressed in black, during the 3 pm closed door board of visitors meeting on Monday, presumbly on the Lawn side of the Rotunda. They are meeting at Pav 7 at 2:30.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, there are tentative plans for a noisy public protest starting at 2:30 on the U. Av. side of the Rotunda. It may be an interesting contrast.</p>
<p>^^Thanks for the heads up – I have to be in C’ville Monday. Can’t decide whether to view the spectacle or avoid Grounds like the plague!</p>
<p>As for the Governor’s recent statements, see: [McDonnell:</a> ‘Prompt’ dialogue needed at UVa | Star-Exponent](<a href=“starexponent.com | Read breaking news for Culpeper County, VA, weather, traffic, crime, sports, entertainment, politics, and more.”>starexponent.com | Read breaking news for Culpeper County, VA, weather, traffic, crime, sports, entertainment, politics, and more.) for a more complete report. </p>
<p>It is correct that he expressed faith in the Board of Visitors; but to be fair, he also said: “I do think that with the faculty expressing their opinions that there’s a need for prompt and good productive dialogue between the board and the faculty and I’m hopeful that will take place shortly.”</p>
<p>Sometimes people are fired, and while there is a real justifiable reason for the firing, the public statement is “family reasons or philosophical differences” etc. Many times this occurs to allow the persons to resign with dignity. I think all speculation only harms the University since many who read the speculation will assume its truth and not follow up when everything comes to light. UVA is a wonderful University that has been around for so long the untimely departure of one person is not going to harm it. However public opinion gone wrong might. Quiet observation would help to quell the fodder feeding the newspapers right now. Just my opinion, I am not a believer in huge conspiracy theories.</p>
<p>^^^ Amen to that, Mamalumper!</p>
<p>I, like the majority of people here, am shocked and upset by the ousting of Teresa Sullivan. I had the privilege to hear her speak on a few occasions and was very favorably impressed. I felt my daughter (who just finished her 2nd year at UVa) was in very capable hands. </p>
<p>However, I am even more upset by some of the vitriol that is being said here pursuant to Ms. Sullivan’s resignation.</p>
<p>The personal attacks on some of the members on the BOV and others, the accusations of greed, and the conspiracies espoused here and in the greater media are very troubling.</p>
<p>^^ Totally agree, Mama. I was shocked by the announcement and saddened because I really liked Ms. Sullivan from both personal dealings and from public information about her actions over the past two years. From this parent’s view, she was a terrific president and a real breath of fresh air at the University. But, I also understand I am not in a position to know and understand the ins and outs of the all the financial pressures and the tough decisions they warrant for UVa at this time. I recognize that for the very reasons I appreciated Ms. Sullivan – her openness, her accessibility – others may believe her time was needed elsewhere. </p>
<p>For as much as I don’t like the decision, I accept I don’t have all the facts. Also, as much as I don’t believe the matter was handled with the finesse these sorts of actions require – and indeed was handled rather ham-handedly, my concern now is with the University going forward. I don’t see the decision being reversed, and I feel the histrionics have more potential to cause lasting harm to UVa than the decision to move the President out. I truly believe the root was an honest disagreement between Ms. Sullivan and a majority on the BoV on financial matters at the University. I have not seen any evidence thus far (vs. speculation/theories) of malfeasance on either side or by Commonwealth officials. </p>
<p>Continuing to feed the media, anxious to report on a “scandal,” real or not, is bad for the University in the long run.</p>
<p>Reading between the lines, it appears from Sullivan’s strategic plan that one of the things she wanted to do was to “implement a budget system” that would “get the resources re-aligned properly” by re-allocating a higher percentage of profits from the “silos” (read Darden and the law school) back to the College. </p>
<p>The Board, on the other hand, appears to want to keep the silos the way they are and instead prefers to lop off less profitable College programs. Hence the Kiernan debacle trying to make sure that Darden keeps its largess, as well as the strong faculty opposition to possible job loss in some programs.</p>
<p>muck – I haven’t parsed thru the memo, but I understood one of her innovations was to set up a budget system that encouraged departments to be more entrepreneurial, with the incentive that they got to keep much of any additional revenues/cost savings they achieved. Did I miss that it also involved resource transfers from income generators to resource “depleters”??</p>
<p>There was a nice letter just sent out by the alumni association.</p>
<p>“Reading between the lines, it appears from Sullivan’s strategic plan that one of the things she wanted to do was to “implement a budget system” that would “get the resources re-aligned properly” by re-allocating a higher percentage of profits from the “silos” (read Darden and the law school) back to the College.”</p>
<p>100% wrong. Whatever Sullivan was referring to had nothing to do with Law and Darden.</p>
<p>The law and biz schools have had their own signed contracts about the details of their financial self-sufficiency deals for years now. Both of those schools have raised money and completely re-jiggered their enrollments, tuition levels and capital projects on the basis of those agreements. Part of those deals is the revenue stream that those schools pay UVA, which have been paid for many years now. In the law school’s case, it pays 10% of tuition to the University. There’s no other “profit” that the University can try to clawback from the professional schools.</p>
<p>yes, the alumni association sent out a notice saying they had set up a site where alums could provide comments, which they will forward to the Board. the site crashed because it was overwhelmed with comments.</p>
<p>There is a hilarious tumblr that just got posted on my facebook news feed. I obviously can’t link to it here, but it’s a “Final Exam for University of Virginia Board of Visitors”… you can google that to get there ;)</p>
<p>Also, I know that this thread is mostly/entirely people upset with the decision, but has anyone heard of positive support for the ousting? I had 1 friend on facebook post about how great Casteen was and such linking to an article, but other than that none of my friends have been supportive of it. To be fair, I lived in Brown College, and at my time there, BC wasn’t a big Casteen fan. So I have a skewed set of friends. But I wonder if anyone is seeing a different reaction?</p>
<p>For non-alums who want to see the letter, you can find it here along with the statement made by the Student Council:
[UVA</a> Alumni, Students Speak Out on Sullivan Ouster - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather](<a href=“http://www.nbc29.com/story/18798414/governor-mcdonnell-response-to-uva-sullivan-ouster-turmoil]UVA”>http://www.nbc29.com/story/18798414/governor-mcdonnell-response-to-uva-sullivan-ouster-turmoil)</p>
<p>The link to the Alumni comment page just worked from this site, also.</p>
<p>hazel, my experience in situations like this is that those in agreement largely keep quiet. When, as here, the likelihood of the decision being overturned is so slight, most don’t see a need to go public with their views. Also, with the reasons for the decision largely unknown, there is little to agree with. Many of the complaints being voiced are with the procedure used and not the substance of the decision.</p>
<p>The more news that is coming out the more uglier this whole mess seems.</p>
<p>A reminder for the Rector and the BOV…</p>
<p>The Honor Men
by James Hay Jr.*
The University of Virginia writes her highest degree on the souls of her sons. The parchment page of scholarship-the colored ribbon of a society-the jeweled emblem of a fraternity-the orange symbol of athletic prowess-all these, a year hence, will be at the best mementos of happy hours-like the withered flower a woman presses between the pages of a book for sentiment’s sake. </p>
<p>But… </p>
<p>If you live a long, long time, and hold honesty of conscience above honesty of purse: </p>
<p>And turn aside without ostentation to aid the weak; </p>
<p>And treasure ideals more than raw ambition; </p>
<p>And track no man to his undeserved hurt; </p>
<p>And pursue no woman to her tears; </p>
<p>And love the beauty of noble music and mist-veiled mountains and blossoming valleys and great monuments- </p>
<p>If you live a long time and, keeping the faith in all these things hour by hour, still see that the sun gilds your path with real gold and that the moon floats in dream silver; </p>
<p>Then… </p>
<p>Remembering the purple shadows of the lawn, the majesty of the colonnades, and the dream of your youth, you may say in reverence and thankfulness: </p>
<p>“I have worn the honors of Honor, I graduated from Virginia”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The decision was nothing less than a coup. Faculty leaders were all kept in the dark about it, no one in the community was consulted, a formal boardroom vote was never even called-- an entirely un-Jeffersonian thing to do – I think we have every right to accuse the BoV of cowardice and malice.</p>
<p>I agree with evitaperson. The issue that people are responding to is the secrecy and the lack of transparency. It is wrong, plain and simple.</p>