AS THE student member of the Board of Visitors, I want to let all my fellow students know more about the Board's recent meetings.
The Board is working hard. The new structure of Board meetings, which requires all committees to meet at least a week in advance of the full Board meeting, provides more time and opportunity for members to gain a better understanding of issues around Grounds and ways to address them. Last Friday's full Board meeting included reports from the nine standing committees and the two special committees and an extended full Board session to discuss issues of particular interest.
One of the main goals of the Educational Policy Committee, on which I serve, is to enhance and protect our undergraduate mission. In order to reach this goal, the committee is considering, among other issues, advising and future growth. Our undergraduate mission will serve as an enduring theme for the next few years as we move toward the top echelon of schools.
Undergraduate advising is near the top of the committee's list of issues to address. Most students would join me in saying that our advising system is broken. The Board is actively considering solutions to this problem, and I would be happy to pass along any ideas you have.
In order to cope with the growth that we will experience in the coming years, the Board is already planning. The Board is thinking about issues of student-to-faculty ratios, living space, course offerings and academic space. Of particular note, at the last meeting the Board reaffirmed its commitment to the South Lawn Project and approved the selection of Moore, Ruble, and Yudell as the new architect. This project will provide much-needed classrooms, faculty offices and social space for the College.
Our undergraduate mission is a key theme for the current Capital Campaign, in which the University is seeking to raise $3 billion. If we do not achieve our goals for the Capital Campaign, all students, alumni and faculty would suffer. Students would not be able to receive U.Va.'s top-rate undergraduate education and experience. We would struggle to recruit and maintain top-tier faculty. The value of all University degrees would decrease, because our rankings would decrease. Fortunately, the Board -- particularly the External Affairs Committee and Chair of the Capital Campaign, former Rector Gordon Rainey -- is working hard to achieve our goal for the Capital Campaign.
Although the Board is focused on planning for the future, they give deep thought and attention to current events on Grounds. Given the recent acts of intolerance and disrespect on Grounds, the Diversity Committee has had a wealth of issues to discuss. It is important to realize, however, that the committee, and the entire Board, have been consistently addressing diversity for the past two and a half years. Their actions and discussions are the result of hard work and consideration of the issues; the Board does not make knee-jerk decisions, especially on an issue as important as diversity. That said, the members have been very responsive to the recent events on Grounds.
The Diversity Committee met in Charlottesville on Sept. 16. It was at that meeting that President John T. Casteen, III presented William Harvey's idea of wearing black ribbons last week, and it was Board member Warren Thompson who suggested wearing ribbons at the homecoming football game.
At Friday's Board meeting, members of the Diversity Commission and Casteen introduced William Harvey, the University's new vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity, to the University community. In addition, the Board passed a resolution reaffirming its commitment to improving the culture on Grounds and rejecting acts of hatred and bigotry. From broad visionary goals outlined by the President's Commission on Diversity and Equity to suggesting the simple act of wearing black ribbons, the Board is committed to improving diversity at the University. In order to learn more about recent Board and administration responses to diversity, I would encourage you to look at the Status Report of the President's Commission on Diversity and Equity that can be found at the University's diversity Web site.
I also want to tell you about a critical part of the University that you may never have heard of: the College at Wise. Although the College at Wise has its own board, the University of Virginia Board of Visitors serves as its ultimate governing body. The College, located near the southwestern tip of Virginia, has an enrollment of approximately 1900. Their new chancellor, David Prior, has just moved there to take the helm as the College finishes celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. In honor of the anniversary, a number of Board members went down to the College to meet with legislators and dedicate a new statue of Thomas Jefferson, strengthening the bond between the College and the University. If you ever get the chance, go down to Wise to meet some of your U.Va. cousins.
As always, if you have any concerns, comments, or questions, please feel free to get in touch with me.
Catherine Neale is the student member of the Board of Visitors. She is a Cavalier Daily contributor.
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