The University Faculty Senate's executive council held an emergency meeting Thursday afternoon during which it adopted a resolution expressing a "lack of confidence in the Rector, the Vice Rector, and the Board of Visitors."
The resolution came on the heels of a statement University Rector Helen Dragas sent to faculty members Wednesday, in which Dragas acknowledged the "serious concern and anxiety" sparked by the announcement that University President Teresa A. Sullivan would step down Aug. 15.
The Faculty Senate's resolution also affirmed the body's "strong support" for Sullivan.
The resolution was not the only statement presented Thursday by University officials.
University Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Strine and Executive Vice President and Provost John Simon, both Sullivan appointees, emailed a joint statement to the University community this morning which cast a hopeful eye toward the future.
"The Board of Visitors' action is resolute and authoritative," wrote Simon and Strine in their statement. "We encourage all of us, even as we adjust and absorb this change, to focus constructively forward in preparing the institution for its next stage of leadership and our shared commitment to quality and excellence in teaching, discovery and patient care."
The Board will meet in closed session June 18 at 3 p.m. in the Rotunda to discuss the candidates for interim president. In their message, Strine and Simon threw their support behind both the interim president and Sullivan's eventual successor, trusting that the Board would establish a "deliberate, principled and thoughtful search process" for the University's next executive.
Meanwhile, a change.org petition calling for Sullivan's reinstatement has accumulated nearly 800 signatures as of 4:30 p.m. today.
"I don't think anyone is working under the illusion that [Sullivan] would actually come back even if asked," Media Studies Prof. Siva Vaidhyanathan said. "But the petition is really important because it shows a diverse set of stakeholders, including students and alumni."
Vaidhyanathan declined to comment on this morning's statement from Strine and Simon.\n?
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