Governor Bob McDonnell has put his stamp on the University of
Virginia Board of Visitors, reappointing its lightning-rod Rector Helen
Dragas, replacing five old board members and appointing two “senior
advisors.”
“Cognizant of the need for varied and wide-ranging voices, I have
appointed competent professionals to the board who come from the fields
of academia, business, law and technology, and who can, while bringing
different backgrounds and philosophies to the table, work well together
in finding common ground and forging a shared path for Mr. Jefferson’s
University,” McDonnell said in a
prepared statement.
Newcomers include Linwood Rose, former president of James Madison
University; Edward Miller, dean of the School of Medicine at Johns
Hopkins University; and Victoria Harper, CFO of Gannett Company.
Senior
advisors whose role will be “to provide the board with wise counsel on
an array of matters and to assist the university in solving strategic
and communications challenges,” include William H. Goodwin, a Darden
School graduate and the most successful entrepreneur in Richmond, as
well as Leonard W. Sandridge, the university’s highly respected CFO
before retiring last year.
By any objective measure, the newcomers represent an impressive
addition to the board. There are no light weights. And they aren’t all
big Republican donors.
Regarding the controversial Dragas, McDonnell said, “Ms. Dragas’s
serious critique of the challenges facing the university is a voice that
must be heard, and can help, in ensuring UVa remains one of the world’s
foremost institutions of higher learning.”
Just as I was disappointed to see the lack of
transparency and communication surrounding the request for the
resignation of the first female president of UVa, I am also concerned
that the first female rector seemed to become the sole target of recent
criticism. While there is no doubt that the board made several mistakes
in its actions, which it has publicly admitted, this is not a time for
recrimination. It’s a time for reconciliation. I have been heartened by
recent statements made by president [Teresa] Sullivan, the Board of
Visitors and by the faculty senate chair about their ability to work
with the rector.
Yesterday I opined that, given the animosity she had engendered,
Dragas probably would have to go. I questioned whether McDonnell had the
guts to reappoint her. But I do agree with the governor’s s decision to
keep her. As I wrote when the controversy first began, “Dragas gets
it.” Higher education in America is facing an existential crisis. The
university needs strong leaders and a bold vision. McDonnell has
assembled a powerful team to lead the university forward.
