Wahoos4UVA Letter to the Presidential Search Committee

Dear Members of the Board of Visitors and the Presidential Search Committee,

We, the undersigned members of Wahoos4UVA, write to express our strong belief that the next president of the University of Virginia must embody the University’s founding values of honor, service, leadership, and excellence — and must demonstrate an unwavering commitment to intellectual diversity, academic freedom, and respect for all members of the UVA community.

In recent years, UVA has faced challenges that have tested its unity and its mission. We urge the Presidential Search Committee to seek a leader who will restore trust, foster open dialogue, and ensure that the University remains a place where rigorous debate and free expression are celebrated rather than constrained.

The next president must:

1. Champion Intellectual Diversity – Encourage the free exchange of ideas and viewpoints across the ideological spectrum.
2. Prioritize Academic Excellence – Strengthen the University’s standing as a world-class institution for teaching, research, and discovery.
3. Rebuild Trust – Promote transparency, accountability, and shared governance among the University’s leadership, faculty, students, and alumni.
4. Support the Broader Community – Cultivate relationships with the Charlottesville community and the Commonwealth of Virginia, ensuring that UVA remains a public university serving the public good.
5. Uphold UVA Traditions – Protect the University’s most enduring symbols and principles, preserving the legacy of Jefferson’s Academical Village while also preparing UVA to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

We believe that the next president should be someone who both honors UVA’s traditions and advances its role as a beacon of intellectual and civic engagement.

The University of Virginia deserves a leader who understands that education is not indoctrination, that service is not self-promotion, and that true leadership means creating an environment where all ideas may be heard and tested.

We respectfully ask that the Presidential Search Committee make these principles central to its deliberations and that it select a candidate whose leadership will unite rather than divide, inspire rather than impose, and strengthen the University we all love.

Sincerely,
Wahoos4UVA Leadership Team
Wahoos4UVA@gmail.com
www.Wahoos-for-UVA.com

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