"Invitation-Only Isn’t Listening — Stop the Sham Search"

Dear Wahoos,

On Monday, the presidential search committee met. UVA Today reported that the search firm, Isaacson, Miller, has been impressed by the dozen listening sessions held so far. John Isaacson, the firm’s founder, was even quoted as saying that the sessions “have been more candid, clearer and more insightful than we usually experience. These things have a tendency to be performative at this stage. That’s less true here.”

It’s encouraging to hear that the sessions have felt less performative than those at other institutions. But in truth, performative is exactly what those listening sessions have been.

Every one of the listening sessions has been invitation-only, reserved for a hand-picked group. For a process as consequential as selecting the next president of the University of Virginia, this lack of openness and real collaboration raises serious concerns.

Invitation-only listening sessions silence diverse viewpoints rather than surface them.

The presidential search committee needs to be holding open listening sessions — lots of them. UVA’s last presidential search provided a great roadmap for how to do listening sessions the right way. We had been hopeful Isaacson, Miller would bring the same rigor to this search as they did to the previous one, but it seems as though our hopes were misplaced.

So, flawed as the invitation-only listening sessions were in terms of their design, what insights did they yield? UVA Today summarized what community members said they want in the next president:

• Effectively engage faculty, students, alumni, board members, and government leaders
• Champion UVA’s role in serving the commonwealth, nation, and world
• Make tough decisions and act quickly
• Accept criticism and place UVA’s needs ahead of personal ambition
• Elevate UVA in the minds of state and national leaders
• Focus on being a “good neighbor” to the region
• Be visible on Grounds and connect with students
• Bring joy, charisma, and celebration to the role

Read through that list again. Does it remind you of anyone?

The qualities the University community desires in its next president are the very ones embodied by former President Jim Ryan.

Jim Ryan engaged deeply with students and faculty, was beloved on Grounds, and elevated UVA’s standing nationally. He consistently put the University’s interests above his own—something demonstrated most clearly when members of the Board of Visitors pushed him to resign to appease the Department of Justice. And what did those Board members secure in return from the DOJ?

Nothing.

Ouch. Not exactly a shining moment for the Board of Visitors.

UVA lost an outstanding president and gained nothing but uncertainty and continued risk of institutional harm from government overreach and leadership missteps.

Wahoos4UVA In the News

• Video: “A Very Dangerous Undertaking: Wahoos4UVA’s Co-Chair on Ryan’s Resignation” - WUVA News, September 17.
• Op-Ed: “What’s Illegal and Refuses to Stand Up? UVA’s Board.” Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 23.
• VIRGINIA Magazine article: “Competing Narratives.” September 10.

To those who say “it’s time to move on…”

We’ve heard from a handful of people who think we shouldn’t keep talking about Jim Ryan. Here’s why we think differently about that:

UVA had a great president. The Board of Visitors needs to tell the truth about how and why we lost UVA’s ninth president before we can trust them to lead the process to find UVA’s tenth.

Honesty and trust are foundational to everything we do at UVA. All we are asking is for the Board of Visitors to hold themselves to the same high standards the rest of the UVA community upholds.

With respect and resolve,

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

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