University Rector Helen Dragas bowed to pressure from University faculty to disclose more information about University President Teresa A. Sullivan’s resignation, emailing a statement to faculty members around 6:30 p.m. today.
Her statement acknowledged concerns that the Board’s actions were not “inclusive of the faculty or transparent to the University community.”
“Yet, consistent with sound employment practices, it is the policy of the Board to keep confidential matters of disagreement and those relating to evaluation of progress against mutually agreed upon goals,” Dragas wrote in the statement.
Media Studies Prof. Siva Vaidhyanathan, who chairs his department, said Dragas “failed to address the central issues that are urgent right now.”
“She dodged the question of the nature of the philosophical disagreements and the specific policy disagreements that the Board had with the president,” Vaidhyanathan said. “There’s no reason we have to consider those matters to be personnel matters, which is sort of the fence she’s hiding behind. We can have an open and honest discussion about where she wants the University to go and how that differs from where President Sullivan wants the University to go.”
Dragas’s message batted away criticisms that the Board had overstepped its bounds, stating that the body was “very clear’ on the limits of our role.”
“The Visitors should not, and will not, reach past or around a president to direct a specific strategic plan,” the statement read.
Dragas wrote in the statement that the Board was concerned about faculty retention and recruitment, and had recently received correspondence “from a large body of the faculty” calling for “plans for raising or redirecting revenue.”
The Board plans to answer these calls by recruiting a new president, according to the statement.
“We can, and will, recruit a stellar new president,” Dragas wrote in the statement. “Of him or her we will expect strong, inclusive faculty governance. We also expect that our next leader will help secure the resources and set clear priorities to incent and reward excellence through faculty salaries, support, and sustenance of an engaging and rewarding academic environment.”
Vaidhyanathan, however, said Dragas’s description of future, transformative leadership was lacking in specifics. “She says we’re going to hire an excellent president, but she doesn’t say what characteristics that president should have,” he said.
Vaidhyanathan added that the circumstances behind Sullivan’s departure had “sent a shiver through the faculty.”
“There are members of the faculty right now who are contacting people at other universities and wondering if they should plan to spend their careers here or not,” he said.
The Board will meet in closed session June 18 at 3 p.m. in the Rotunda to discuss specific candidates for interim president.
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