Wailing, Ashes, and Gnashing of Teeth

The University of Virginia Faculty Senate today passed a resolution expressing “no confidence” in the Board of Visitors for failing to “protect the university and its president from outside interference” and for “not consulting with the faculty Senate in a time of crisis.”

The faculty called for a full accounting of the “series of events and actions taken by the board that resulted in the resignation of President Jim Ryan,” and demanded that the search committee to find a replacement be comprised of “at least 75% of UVA employees.”

According to the statement, “the university’s board of visitors states that visitors actively safeguard principles of academic freedom for the university and its faculty and endeavor to protect the university from outside influences seeking improperly to shape it.”

However, the “tone and content” of seven letters from the Department of Justice regarding the dismantling of racial preferences and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion addressed to university leaders “can reasonably be understood to constitute outside influences seeking improperly to shape the governance of the university.” (Find the full text at the bottom of this post.)

The statement reads like an incoherent cry of angst.

The statement provided no citation for its contention that responsibilities of the Board of Visitors include safeguarding “academic freedom” and protecting the university from “outside influences.” The phrase “academic freedom” does not appear anywhere in the Board of Visitors Manual.

The Statement of Institutional Purpose reads as follows:

The central purpose of the University of Virginia is to enrich the mind by stimulating and sustaining a spirit of free inquiry directed to understanding the nature of the universe and the role of mankind in it. Activities designed to quicken, discipline, and enlarge the intellectual and creative capacities, as well as the aesthetic and ethical awareness, of the members of the University and to record, preserve, and disseminate the results of intellectual discovery and creative endeavor serve this purpose. In fulfilling it, the University places the highest priority on achieving eminence as a center of higher learning.

The notion that UVA should be insulated from “outside influences” is self-evidently absurd. Legally, UVA is an agency of the state. The institution belongs to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Tuition and financial aid are partially funded by taxpayers. The General Assembly enacts budgets, the Governor appoints board members, and the Attorney General appoints the university counsel.

There is a widespread sentiment among faculty members that the U.S. Department of Justice investigation and threats constitute an unwarranted invasion of the university’s autonomy. As evidenced by this statement, many professors fear that their academic freedom is in jeopardy.

There is no rational basis for that fear. The DOJ is investigating unconstitutional racial preferences. One may disagree with DOJ’s interpretation of civil rights law. One may criticize DOJ’s coercive tactics. But there is not a scintilla of evidence that DOJ wishes to restrict the faculty’s right of free expression in any way.

No one is agitating for a crackdown on academic freedom. At the behest of Governor Glenn Youngkin, the Board of Visitors passed a resolution specifically endorsing free speech and intellectual diversity. By definition, “intellectual diversity” encompasses a wide range of views, including those of liberals, leftists and Marxists. There will be no conservative thought police enforcing acceptable views (in contrast, say, to mandated “diversity statements” and social-media enforcement of social-justice orthodoxy). The Jefferson Council, a bete noire for many professors, has consistently argued for academic freedom.

As for the demand for 75% faculty representation: Get over yourselves. UVA does not belong to you. You do not set strategic policy. You are one constituency among many — an important one — but you have no right to dictate the outcome of a presidential search.

On one thing I can agree with the Faculty Senate: The Board of Visitors does owe the UVA community a full explanation of what has transpired between UVA and the DOJ, as well as an accounting of the events leading to Jim Ryan’s resignation. The paucity of information has given rise to wild speculation and the spinning of fanciful narratives. No one — absolutely no one — benefits from unfounded rumors.

Rector Rachel Sheridan has pleaded that the deliberations with DOJ involve delicate legal negotiations that cannot play out in public. I’m inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt — as long as we eventually do get a full accounting.

This statement was transcribed from the video recording above of the Faculty Senate meeting. The official document might have been slightly edited.

Whereas the code of the Commonwealth of Virginia states that the university’s board of visitors shall grant to the president of the university’s supreme Administrative direction over all schools, colleges, divisions, and branches of the university.

Whereas in its statement of visitor responsibilities, the university’s board of visitors states that visitors actively safeguard principles of academic freedom for the university and its faculty and endeavor to protect the university from outside influences seeking improperly to shape it.

Whereas we are aware that in the spring of 2025, the university’s rector and board of visitors were in receipt of a series of letters from representatives of the United States Department of Justice objecting to alleged violations of federal law and policy and demanding information.

Whereas the tone and content of the letters from the Department of Justice can reasonably be understood to constitute outside influences seeking improperly to shape the governance of the university and the power of the president of the university to control the administrative direction of the institution.

Whereas in a statement to the University of Virginia community on June 27, 2025, President James Ryan announced his resignation and noted, to make a long story short, I am inclined to fight for whatever I believe in, and I believe deeply in this university, but I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job due to apparent extra legal threats from the federal government to withhold financial support for the university.

Whereas the Constitution and bylaws of the Faculty Senate of the University of Virginia establishes the Senate’s advisory function for the president and the rector and board of visitors concerning educational and related matters affecting the welfare of the university have been violated.

Whereas in its statement of visitor responsibilities, the university’s board of visitors states that it is committed to, among other attributes candor and transparency, whereas contrary to norms and principles of UVA’s commitment to shared governance, the faculty Senate was not directly informed of any demands made upon the university by representatives of the US Department of Justice nor consulted about any negotiations between the board of visitors and the US Department of Justice.

Resolved, the faculty Senate expresses no confidence in the board of visitors for not protecting the university and its president from outside interference and for not consulting with the faculty Senate in a time of crisis, actions that are inconsistent with its duties under the Code of Virginia and the board’s statement of visitor responsibilities as stated in its resolution on the.

Designation of President Ryan of June 27, 2025, the faculty Senate calls for the board of visitors to provide the Senate with an immediate and complete accounting of its efforts and activities in response to all inquiries and demands made upon the university by representatives of the US Department of Justice, supposed to be during the spring or in the spring of 2025.

In order to restore its confidence in the board of visitors, the Senate calls for the board to provide the Senate with a full accounting of the specific series of events and actions taken by the board that resulted in the resignation of President Jim Ryan, and to honor the Code of Virginia, the board’s own statement of visitor responsibilities and the Constitution and bylaws of the faculty Senate to most effectively defend the university from external influences going forward.

Be it further resolved that the faculty Senate of Virginia calls upon the rector and vice rector to honor their commitment to work closely with faculty Senate Executive council to design and execute search processes for the interim and 10th president that are deeply rooted in the foundational principles of shared governance and whose search committees are comprised of at least 75% UVA employees.