Several minutes after it was set to begin, a special meeting of the University of Virginia’s governing Board of Visitors over a "resignation faculty matter" was abruptly canceled “as it was no longer needed,” according to school officials.
The meeting was to take place five days after the resignation of UVa President Jim Ryan, under pressure by the Trump administration Department of Justice to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs he instituted at the school.
The virtual meeting scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday was called to “discuss a faculty resignation personnel matter,” as announced on the board’s website on Tuesday evening.
At around 11:35 a.m. — with more than 300 people waiting online for the meeting’s livestream to begin — the link suddenly stopped functioning. The meeting was then listed as canceled on the board’s calendar.
The Daily Progress reached out to UVa spokeswoman Bethanie Glover for clarification.
“A special meeting of the Board of Visitors to discuss a faculty resignation personnel matter was cancelled, as it was no longer needed,” she said in a prepared statement.
There’s been only one notable resignation of late.
Ryan tendered his resignation last Friday in a letter to the board. Outgoing Rector Robert Hardie accepted his resignation the same day with “profound sadness.”
The DOJ has claimed Ryan failed to eliminate DEI at UVa, despite direct orders from the Board of Visitors and the White House to do so. Moreover, the agency said Ryan misrepresented his progress dismantling the DEI apparatus he himself instituted, rebranding instead of removing programs and positions.
On Monday, Hardie and incoming Rector Rachel Sheridan announced that the university’s Chief Operating Officer J.J. Davis would take on the role of acting president once Ryan’s resignation goes into effect and until an interim president is found.
In his resignation letter, Ryan said he would depart from the presidential residence at Carr’s Hill no later than Aug. 15. But whether he will continue to serve until that date is unclear; it has not been announced in any official statements from any university leaders.
Wednesday would have been the first meeting presided over by Sheridan and new Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson. Both of their predecessors’ terms ended on Monday, along with the terms of the two other remaining Democrat-appointed board members. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently named four new appointees to fill these vacancies, meaning he has now appointed all 17 members of the university’s governing body.
Monday also marked the end of special education professor Michael Kennedy’s time as faculty representative on the Board of Visitors. Engineering professor Jim Lambert has taken his place.
"Nothing like this happened during my year as faculty representative to the Board," Kennedy told The Daily Progress, regarding Wednesday’s sudden cancelation. "But these are unprecedented times."
Source: www.dailyprogress.com