Not Quite Time to Turn the Page

Dear Wahoos,

As we enter a new year, we hope you were able to spend time with friends andfamily over the holidays. We also hope you were able to find some solace, rest, and peace after what has been an unusually turbulent period for the University. We approach 2026 with hope and resolve. But it is not yet time to simply turn the page.

What unfolded throughout much of 2025 at the University of Virginia — culminating in the rushed naming of a new president through a process that continues to raise serious questions — has brought the University to a crossroads.

The Ends Do Not Justify the Means  

Process matters, no matter the outcome.

A few weeks ago, the current Board of Visitors moved to name Scott Beardsley as UVA’s next president. That action, taken through a process widely questioned by faculty, students, alumni, and public leaders, cannot and should not be treated as a settled matter.

Wahoos4UVA wishes Beardsley well: it’s in no one’s interest that he fail. But the manner in which this decision was made places any incoming president at a profound disadvantage.

No individual, regardless of credentials, can confer legitimacy on a process that has already lost the confidence of a substantial portion of the community it is meant to serve. A presidency born of a compromised process cannot easily provide the stable, trusted leadership UVA needs.

Among the concerns repeatedly raised across the University community:

• Ongoing disagreement about whether the Board that conducted the search was fully and properly constituted
• Widespread calls from key stakeholders to pause the process until the Board could be lawfully and credibly constituted
• Objections from several stakeholder groups regarding the extent to which they were allowed to have input into the selection of presidential search committee members representing their respective constituencies
• Serious questions about whether the compressed timeline and unsettled governance environment limited UVA’s ability to attract and fully vet the strongest possible pool
• Votes of no confidence and public calls for resignation that further undermined trust in the Board’s leadership during the search
• Numerous unanswered questions about the circumstances surrounding the resignation of former President Ryan

At Virginia’s public universities, accountability ultimately rests with the people of the Commonwealth, exercised through the Governor’s constitutional authority to appoint — and, when necessary, replace — members of governing boards. That authority exists for moments exactly like this one.

Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger has both the legal power and the ethical responsibility to determine the constitution of the Board of Visitors so that it protects the public interest and operates with integrity. This is not about partisanship. It is about restoring lawful, credible governance to a Board whose recent actions have profoundly undermined confidence.

What Comes Next

In our view, rebuilding trust will require more than the Governor-elect simply determining whether to remove and replace Board members whose actions raised concerns about governance, independence, and adherence to public-university norms. It will require Governor-elect Spanberger to appoint Board members who have the courage and strength to stand firm against anyattempt — whether by her or any other elected official — to direct or interfere with the Board’s decisions. Board members should be selected based on their ability to faithfully serve the University’s best interests rather than on their willingness to “bend the knee” to the Governor.

Rebuilding trust will require hard work on the part of the newly-reconstituted Board members as well. The Board should be prepared to conduct an independent review of the actions of the prior Board in 2025, especially those surrounding President Ryan’s resignation. They should carry out that review without fear or favor, guided by a commitment to transparency, accountability, and the University’s long-term health.

The new Board will face a range of options regarding the presidency. After reviewing the actions of the current Board and the presidential search it conducted, they will have the opportunity to assess the contractual andgovernance implications of the presidential appointment and determine whether to pause, reopen, or restart the search.

In short, we believe the Board will face a defining choice:

It can choose a forward-looking path — prioritizing institutional repair, legitimacy, and long-term health.

Or it can choose a defensive one — asking the University to absorb the costs of a broken process in order to preserve its outcome.

We believe the forward-looking path is the courageous one.  

In the coming weeks, Wahoos4UVA will continue to advocate for the reconstitution of the Board and for reforms that protect the University’s independence and restore trust. What happens now will shape not only who leads UVA, but whether our system of public university governance can still command the trust it requires to function.

Thank you for standing with us and with the University at this critical time.

With determination and resolve,

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

Co-Chairs, Wahoos4UVA

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