AFTER every meeting of the Board of Visitors, I try to let my fellow students know more about the Board's activities.
If I were to sum up the theme of the recent meetings, they would be "challenges ahead." Two weeks ago, all the committees of the Board met in Charlottesville to discuss their agendas and plan for the meeting of the full Board that took place last Thursday and Friday. The challenges ahead include: faculty recruitment and retention, diversity issues, building projects, fundraising and the creation of a comprehensive 10-year plan that will help create a map for the future of the University. I also want to introduce you to our new student member.
The Board is adamant about having a strong and diverse faculty that is large enough to support our growing student population. The Educational Policy Committee spent a great deal of time discussing minority and women faculty recruitment. Vice Provost Gertrude Fraser has led this movement, and the Board has provided its full support in creating a more successful recruitment plan. We are now starting to see results. The Board is fully aware that recruitment is only the first step; after bringing top-notch faculty to the University, we must take measures to ensure their retention.
The Educational Policy Committee also touched on two other issues: January Term and Semester at Sea. The Board is very pleased with J-Term and wants to see it expanded and to make it more accessible to all students. Over the past few months, the Board has also been a major player in the formation of an academic partnership with the Semester at Sea Program.
We are fully aware that the University has not formed a diverse pool of contractors for construction and other services. One of the major diversity initiatives of the Board is to form more contracts with SWAM (small, women-, and minority-owned) businesses. Because the University has made such great leaps in this area, the Diversity Committee has increased our goal.
As the University population grows, the Board must plan for the physical future of the Grounds and the Buildings and Grounds Committee is working hard. Among other projects, we were updated on the Arts Grounds parking garage, the John Paul Jones Arena, and the Rouss and Cocke Hall renovations. All of these projects are moving along and will aid growth.
At the Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting, new renderings for the South Lawn Project were also presented. They are an early conceptual look at how the buildings might be laid out, not actual designs. The South Lawn project is critical to the academic mission of our University, and the Board is ensuring that it will serve the College, as well as integrate into the physical aesthetic and tradition of our Grounds. If we stay on schedule, ground could be broken as early as the end of September.
In order to pay for all these new buildings and renovations, as well as programs, the University must complete our $3 billion Capital Campaign that is still in the silent phase. Led by former Rector Gordon Rainey and Bob Sweeney, vice president for development, the campaign is in good hands. December was an incredibly successful month, and we have raised over $700 million. This puts us well on our way to achieving our goal of reaching $1 billion by the end of the silent phase. The official campaign kick-off is on Sept. 30, 2006. We still have many miles to go before we can rest, and I would encourage all of you to think about helping, even a little bit, especially if you are a fourth year.
Under the Higher Education Restructuring Act, all colleges and universities must compose a six-year plan for their institution. Our Board of Visitors has gone beyond that requirement; the Planning Committee is charged with planning for the next 10 years of the University. During a five-hour meeting on Thursday, the committee discussed performance measures, financial policy, development and fund-raising strategy and rankings. Then on Friday, Provost Block led the entire Board in a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the University. We added onto a list of these categories that some faculty and administrators had already created. This activity provided us with the opportunity to think about and understand where the University is and where it needs to be.
Finally, this meeting saw the selection of our new student member, Lizzie Mullen. After going through a rigorous process involving an application, an interview by a panel of students and an interview with the Executive Committee of the Board, Lizzie was selected. She will work with me over the coming months to learn more about the Board and will take over at the conclusion of the April Board meeting. It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed since my selection, but I am confident in Lizzie's ability to represent the student voice to the Board.
I have faith that the Board and its new student member will address the challenges and the University will be stronger and better than it is today.
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 also a Cavalier Daily contributor.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Carla Williams deserves her seat at the table
By Editorial Board | YesterdayLooking beyond basketball and football reveals that Virginia Athletics is, in many ways, thriving.
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | 3 days agoInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | 4 days agoInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
