What is the Board of Visitors?
Appointed by the Virginia Governor and charged with seeing to the effective and transparent governance of the University, the Board of Visitors consists of 19 members — former professors and faculty, business owners, working professionals and one non-voting student.
Members approve policies and budget for the University, and are entrusted with the preservation of the University’s many traditions, including the honor system. The Board is divided into nine standing committees and three special committees. These committees are tasked with looking at everything from Rotunda renovation efforts to the operation of the Medical Center. Tuition rates and budgets are also approved by the Board.
The Board meets four times a year in Charlottesville to discuss issues within the specific committees as well as issues that pertain to the University as a whole. Meetings are broken up into categories: an annual meeting, regular meeting and special meetings.
BOV Committees
The Advancement and Communications Committee is made up of 12 members, focusing on University development, alumni affairs and public communications. The main responsibility of this committee is promoting private and alumni donations that will benefit the University community.
The Audit and Compliance Committee is comprised of 10 members who are responsible for financial accounting and reporting. This committee assesses the performance of internal and external auditors and upholds the integrity of all auditing activities and the system of internal accounting controls. At its most recent meeting, the committee discussed auditing the departments of Accounting and Finance, Parking and Transportation, and Financial Aid, as well as addressing fraud claims received from the Commonwealth’s “Fraud, Waste and Abuse Hotline.”
The Building and Grounds Committee is a 10-member committee tasked with care, maintenance and security for all of the University’s buildings and grounds. Members of this committee select the architects, locations, designs and names of any new structures built on Grounds. Its most recognizable project is the Rotunda restoration, construction of Alderman Road residence halls and New Cabell Hall renovation.
The Educational Policy Committee addresses all issues relating to educational policies and programs, including proposal of new degrees and educational programs by the University President, hiring and retaining faculty members, and maintaining the quality of classrooms. Recent approvals by this committee include approval of new degree programs for Bachelor of Science in Astronomy and Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences, as well as guideline proposals for early enrollment of military related students.
The Executive Committee handles matters directly from the Rector, Vice Rector and University President and retains full Board power and authority between monthly Board meetings. Any action taken between Board meetings must be initially approved by a two-thirds vote of all committee members. Once the full Board reconvenes, all actions taken in the interim must be reported and confirmed.
The Finance Committee is responsible for financial affairs and business operations of the University, including approval of the University’s annual budget and setting student tuition rates and charges. It determines where best to allocate endowments and other funds and has the power to purchase property. In May, the committee discussed budgets for the new Alderman Road Residence Halls.
The Medical Center Operating Board serves as the governing board for the Medical Center and Transitional Care Hospital. They are responsible for making sure the University’s hospital centers meet certain standards, delineated by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospital Organization (JCAHO), in order to stay an accredited hospital. During meetings, the committee will discuss Medical Center budgets, as well as new appointments, resignations, adverse actions and renewal of privileges to clinical staff and health professionals.
The Student Affairs and Athletics Committee controls issues concerning dorm and social life, extracurricular student activities, food services and health of all students. It also oversees all athletic programs at the University, ranging from Intramural to Varsity sports. One of its most recent discussions centered around creating a lower student-to-residential staff ratio in first-year dorms.
Members on the Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise report needs from the University’s liberal arts college in Wise, Va. This committee works in conjunction with the Chancellor at U.Va.-Wise to meet the institution’s goals. In its meeting in May, the committee covered enrollment reports, faculty salaries and construction initiatives.
The Special Committee on Diversity’s goal is to make sure all members of the University and Charlottesville community are treated equally, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or socio-economic status. It strives to create equal education and job preparation opportunities for all students at the University.
The Special Committee on Governance and Engagement reviews internal structure, processes and operations of the University. It makes both formal and informal recommendations to the administration regarding these matters. They also monitor the relationship between the Board and University administration.
The Committee on Strategic Planning is the newest committee in the board, formed in October 2012 to develop a plan for the progress and future of the University. In the past, this committee has focused on topics such as student life, technology initiatives and leadership. One of its most notable technology initiatives was the focus on MOOCs, massive open online courses, launched last semester by the University.
Projections for the Upcoming Meeting
Buildings and Grounds Committee:
The committee will discuss the reconstruction of the seventh and eighth floor of the University Hospital. The seventh floor is the current location of the Children’s hospital and the eighth floor houses Women’s Health. The two floors are slated to include a Women’s Health triage and Labor and Delivery rooms as well as expansion of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit PICU.
Full Board meeting:
The members of the Executive Committee will be elected during the full board meeting. The committee has been enlarged and recent legislation has changed some of the functions within the committee.
Advancement Communications Committee:
The Advancement Communications Committee will discuss and introduce the University’s new Chief Communications Officer, Dave Martel. Martel is coming from the University of Connecticut, where he served as their Director of Media Communications. Martel was appointed to the position in June.
Finance Committee:
The University must submit their six-year financial plan by Oct. 1 for state review. The committee will examine the University’s non-binding proposal, which will outline plans for 2014-2020. The plan is different from the five-year plan created by the Strategic Planning meeting.
Educational Policy Committee:
The committee will discuss the addition of a new Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Global Innovation Medal. The medals are granted by the University in lieu of honorary degrees. The current medals are in Architecture, Law and Citizen Leadership.
Members of the Board
George Martin (Rector)
CLAS ’75; Howard School of Law ’78
Appointed to Board in 2011
Chair of Executive committee, Medical Center Operating Board
WIlliam Goodwin, Jr. (Vice-Rector)
B.S. Virginia Tech ’62; MBA Darden ’66
Previously on Board from 1996 to 2004; reappointed in 2013
Committee on the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Student Affairs and Athletics, Medical Operating Board, Executive Committee, Buildings and Grounds Committee, Advancement and Communications Committee
Frank Atkinson
B.A. University of Richmond ’79; J.D. U.Va. Law School ’82
Appointed to Board in 2001
Audit and Compliance Committee, Educational Policy Committee, Finance Committee
Hunter Craig
B.A. from Hampden-Sydney College ’84
Appointed to Board in 2010
Advancement and Communications Committee, Audit and Compliance, Buildings and Grounds, Student Affairs and Athletics
Allison DiNardo
CLAS ’82; MBA Darden ’88
Appointed to Board in July 2011
Educational Policy Committee, Chair of Student Affairs and Athletics Committee, Committee on the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Advancement and Communications Committee
Helen Dragas
CLAS ’84, MBA Darden ’88
Appointed to Board in 2008
Advancement and Communications Committee, Buildings and Grounds Committee, Student Affairs and Athletics Committee, Student Affairs and Athletics Committee
Kevin Fay
CLAS ’77; J.D. American University ’81
Appointed to Board in 2013
Advancement and Communications Committee, Audit and Compliance Committee, Buildings and Grounds Committee
Frank Genovese
B.S. University of Connecticut; MBA Darden ’74
Appointed to Board in July 2013
Audit and Compliance Committee, Buildings and Grounds Committee
Marvin Gilliam, Jr.
CLAS
Appointed to Board in 2010
Finance Committee, Student Affairs and Athletics Committee, Student Affairs and Athletics Committee
John Griffin
McIntire ’85; MBA Stanford ’90
Appointed to Board in 2013
Buildings and Grounds Committee, Finance Committee, Student Affairs and Athletics Committee, Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise
Victoria Harker
CLAS ’86; MBA American University ’90
Appointed to Board in 2012
Audit and Compliance Committee, Educational Policy Committee, Finance Committee, Medical Center Operating Board
Bobbie Kilberg
B.A. Vassar College ’65; MA Columbia University ’66; J.D. Yale University ’69
Appointed to Board in 2011
Advancement and Communications Committee, Audit and Compliance Committee, Educational Policy Committee
Stephen Long
B.A. Randolph-Macon College ’82; MD Virginia Commonwealth University ’86
Appointed to Board in 2011
Executive Committee, Medical Center Operating Board, Educational Policy Committee , Finance Committee, Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise
Edward Miller
BA Ohio Wesleyan University ’64; MD University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry ’69
Appointed to Board in 2012
Educational Policy Committee, Finance Committee, Medical Center Operating Board, Student Affairs and Athletics Committee, Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise
John Nau, III
CLAS ’68
Appointed to Board in 2011
Advancement and Communications Committee, Audit and Compliance Committee, Buildings and Grounds Committee, Student Affairs and Athletics Committee
Timothy Robertson
CLAS’ 77
First appointed in 1998, reappointed in 2011
Buildings and Grounds Committee, Executive Committee, Educational Policy Committee, Student Affairs and Athletics Committee, Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise
Linwood Rose
BA Virginia Tech; MS University of Tennessee; Ed.D. Curry School ’87,
Appointed to Board in 2012
Audit and Compliance Committee, Educational Policy Committee, Executive Committee, Finance Committee
Blake Blaze (student member)
Fourth-year College student
Appointed to Board in 2013
Educational Policy Committee, Student Affairs and Athletics Committee
Leonard Sandridge (special advisor to the Board)
B.A. University of Richmond ’64; Masters U.Va. ’74
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