Several deans at the University of Virginia have written a letter to the school’s governing board asking it to delay its presidential search.
The letter follows a public dispute between the current and future governors of Virginia over the timeline to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of former University President James Ryan. Ryan stepped down in June after the Trump administration pressured UVA on its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
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Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) sent a letter to the board in November, whose members are appointed by the state’s governor, requesting they pause their search and selection process until she takes office in January and can make her appointments. Current Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) blasted her outreach to the board as a “breach of protocol.”
The search committee responded in late November that it would continue its search despite the weigh-ins from state leadership and its faculty senate, which also called for a halt. The committee began the search in July.
“We have just completed the first round of interviews with an extraordinarily impressive group. Their experience, vision, and commitment to higher education give us tremendous optimism. However, we are not yet at the point of selecting finalists. To responsibly narrow this exceptional pool, we must conduct additional due diligence, hold further interviews, and continue our internal deliberations,” the presidential search committee wrote in a late November statement.
Despite the search committee’s statement, nine deans from UVA wrote to the board this week requesting a delay in their presidential search, saying “the risks of a quick appointment far outweigh any benefits,” according to the university’s student newspaper, the Cavalier Daily.
“It is critical to recognize that a president appointed amidst the current swirl of unresolved governance questions would start their tenure under a cloud,” the deans wrote, according to the report. “Their legitimacy would be questioned by many within and beyond our community, and their mandate and effectiveness would be compromised.”
University spokeswoman Bethanie Glover told the Washington Examiner the board is reviewing the letter from the deans and referred the outlet to the committee’s November statement.
“As the Special Committee on the Nomination of a President notes in its statement, ‘while the first round of interviews is complete, the committee has additional steps to take before narrowing the candidate pool and selecting finalists to present to the Board of Visitors,’” Glover said.
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Youngkin appointed all 12 current members of UVA’s board of visitors, including the rector and vice rector. His appointees include donors to his political campaign. The board typically has 17 governor-appointed voting members at full capacity.
Spanberger, a UVA alumna herself, will take office on Jan. 17, 2026.