A Pause Isn’t Partisan — It’s Good Governance

Dear Wahoos,

The University of Virginia is a special place. Our students, faculty, staff, and alumni are deeply committed to the University’s foundational values. The Honor System shapes how we conduct ourselves. Honesty and integrity matter here.

At Convocation, when new students sit on the Lawn facing the Rotunda, they join a community of trust. They learn about the Honor System — a commitment to honesty, integrity, and accountability.

These values aren’t just for students. They guide our work at Wahoos4UVA, and they should guide every member of our Board of Visitors as well.

Five months after President Ryan’s forced resignation, sunlight is finally beginning to shine on the actions of the Board of Visitors.  

Restoring honor to our Grounds requires that the Board of Visitors be held accountable for their actions.

A Week of Letters….and Finally, Some Answers

Over the course of the past eight days, the UVA community has seen an extraordinary series of developments:

November 12: Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger sent a letter to the Board of Visitors urging them to pause the presidential search until the Board can be properly constituted.

November 13: Governor Glenn Youngkin sent a letter to Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger about the letter she sent to the Board.

November 13: The same day, Rector Rachel Sheridan sent the Faculty Senate her account of the events surrounding President Jim Ryan’s resignation. (She sent her letter a day after the Faculty Senate had put a resolution on the meeting agenda calling for the resignation of the Rector and Vice Rector.)

November 14: In the morning, Jim Ryan sent the Faculty Senate a letter sharing his account of those same events. That afternoon, the Faculty Senate passed a resolution (1) calling “upon the Governor and the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide the University of Virginia with BOV leadership who merit the trust and confidence of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the University”; (2) requesting “that the Presidential search cease activity until the BOV is at full complement with members confirmed by the General Assembly”; and (3) calling for “the immediate resignation from the BOV of Rector Rachel W. Sheridan and Vice Rector Porter N. Wilkinson.”

November 19:  The Cavalier Daily published a story about documents released through Senator Creigh Deeds’ FOIA request. Among them is a June 24, 2025, text message from then-Rector Robert Hardie to Rachel Sheridan and BOV member Paul Manning in which Hardie wrote, days before President Ryan’s forced resignation:

“Paul and Rachel, I am still the Rector until July 1. I have spoke [sic] to Jim. I have participated in this movie before in 2010 and 2012 and it is unkind and sets Universities back years. Both of you will be vilified as well as the board (I will no longer be on it so will have maximum power to oppose it). I will oppose it with all my might, which is significant. I am very disappointed that two of my closest friends have decided to leave their friend the Rector out of such a conversation. Stand by your President. This is sickening to me. I am appalled. Robert”

Hardie’s text message, along with correspondence released last week by President Ryan and Rachel Sheridan, sheds new light on the events leading to Ryan’s resignation. Taken alongside Ryan’s letter and the released messages, the materials suggest that several members of the Board may have acted without the knowledge or approval of the then-Rector.

Pausing the Presidential Search Isn’t Partisan – Rushing It Is

Governor-elect Spanberger has been clear about her rationale for requesting that the Board “refrain from rushing this search process and from selecting the finalists for the presidency or a president until the Board is at full complement and in statutory compliance.” As she states in her letter, “The benefits of selecting a new president with a full, duly-constituted Board are clear and include: (1) providing credibility to the search process and the selection decision; (2) ensuring that the individual chosen to lead the University benefits from having been chosen in a credible and transparent process; and (3) removing any concern that the Board’s actions are illegitimate due to a lack of authority.”

As we’ve said previously in our weekly messages, Wahoos4UVA is opposed to all forms of political interference. If we thought Governor-elect Spanberger sought to interfere with rather than merely pause the presidential search process, we wouldn’t hesitate to speak out. Governor-elect Spanberger is instead acting to protect the presidential search process from political interference and to better ensure an environment in which UVA and our leaders can again thrive, free from unwarranted interference.

Unless the current Board of Visitors is trying to ensure the appointment of an ideologically-aligned president, they should want the selection of the tenth president to be carried out by the Board once its composition and authority is unimpeachable.

What Happens Next

Fortunately, we’ve seen this movie a few times before. We saw it back in 2012 when President Sullivan was ousted, and we saw it again this summer when President Ryan resigned.

We can already imagine how things are likely to unfold this time around:

• A small group of board members will operate out of view while the rest of the Board remains silent.
• Key decisions will be timed for moments when students are away and attention is low.
• Calming gestures will be made — UVA Today stories suggesting transparency, BOV meeting presentations meant to reassure — but none will commit to waiting for a lawfully constituted board before a president is named.
• Then, when the University community is least likely to be watching, a sudden BOV meeting will be announced, and the next president will be named.

If something resembling this hypothetical sequence of events were to come to pass, the fallout would be catastrophically destabilizing for the University, especially if this rushed, illegitimate search yields the pre-ordained result many suspect it will.  

The Presidential Search Committee interviewed candidates this week.

We have every reason to believe the Board intends to name UVA’s next president before Abigail Spanberger is inaugurated as Governor.

We want someone extraordinary to become the University of Virginia’s tenth president, and we want that person’s presidency to have every possible chance of success. The University’s next president should be selected by a lawfully-constituted Board that operates in a manner consistent with the Honor System, good governance practices, and Virginia law.

So, What Can Be Done?

Governor Youngkin has publicly asserted that he alone is the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and he will not allow the Governor-elect to “interfere with the governance of a university and the fiduciary duties of individual board members.” We respect Governor Youngkin’s position that he is the Governor until his successor is sworn in. That means he remains the person charged with protecting the governance of the University and ensuring that individual Board members uphold their fiduciary duties.

Governor Youngkin has both the authority and the obligation to ensure sound governance at public institutions. Under Virginia law (Va. Code § 2.2-108), the Governor may remove Board members of public institutions for malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, or incompetence.

As a nonpartisan coalition of supporters, Wahoos4UVA respectfully calls upon Governor Youngkin to (1) remove Board members whose actions appear to constitute malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, or incompetence; and (2) pause the presidential search until the Board is fully and lawfully constituted.

A Powerful Message From The Society of the Purple Shadows

Last night, a letter from The Society of the Purple Shadows appeared on social media:

19 november 2025

rector sheridan,

THE SOCIETY OF THE PURPLE SHADOWS was founded to uphold and protect the core tenets of the University: Honor, student self-governance, and the illimitable freedom of the human mind. these values are descendants of the University's first rector, Thomas Jefferson. as with all visitors, the rector is entrusted to defend these values and adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional integrity. THE SOCIETY recognizes that - in both regards - you have failed.

this past summer, you placed personal ambition and political pragmatism above the needs of the University community, ousting a beloved and accomplished president. THE SOCIETY does not condemn disagreements with administrative decisions or university policy, but - as justice louis brandeis said - "the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence."

worse, when the faculty senate asked you to explain your actions to the university community, you lied. your actions demonstrate a lack of virtue and disqualify you from your role as rector. the University's second rector, james madison, would concur. in his own words, "is there no virtue among us? if there be not, we are in a wretched situation."

while THE SOCIETY believes that you have impugned your reputation beyond repair, you still have the opportunity to salvage the sanctity of the institution you claim to serve. unlike president ryan, you have a choice. THE SOCIETY implores you to resign.

THE SOCIETY OF THE PURPLE SHADOWS

In all our years at UVA, we can’t recall a time when The Society of the Purple Shadows has sent anything other than letters congratulating and thanking members of the UVA community for their contributions to the good of the institution. This makes their letter to Rachel Sheridan all the more powerful.

Our Honor System is predicated on the idea that trust arises from consistent, principled, honorable action. Restoring the University community’s trust in the Board of Visitors requires more than just the passage of time – it requires action and accountability. We deserve nothing less.

With determination and resolve,

Ann Brown (College ‘74, Law ‘77)
Chris Ford (Engineering ‘87)

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