After the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors voted to affirm President Scott Beardsley’s appointment to the office during its March 5th meeting, the University Faculty Senate executive council says they are hoping for open collaboration and communication with the governing body. The Board’s resolution says that an audit committee will review the former Dean of the Darden School’s selection process for “improvements in future searches.”
The audit committee review will be led by University alum Mohsin Raza Syed, who previously served as the Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Transportation before being appointed to the US Department of Transportation.
During its March 13th meeting, the Faculty Senate executive council agreed to request that the Board of Visitors allow the Senate to provide input to the audit committee. The Board’s resolution comes after the Faculty Senate’s January resolution to request a review of the presidential search. Beardsley’s appointment came after Governor Spanberger called on the Board to hold off on naming a new President. The Board of Visitors moved forward with the search anyway and named Beardsley as the 10th President of the University during a December 19th special meeting. Beardsley assumed office officially on January 1st, 2026 and is scheduled to serve a five-and-a-half year term as President.
In the Friday meeting, the Faculty Senate Chair Jeri Seidman expressed plans to invite the Rector and Vice Rector to the March 20th general body of the Senate. Board member Eric Ramirez- Weaver placed a motion that expressed interests in future discussion with the Board on rescinding the resolution to dissolve the office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”). On February 18th, a New Hampshire district judge blocked key anti-DEI efforts prompted by the Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague” letter. As a result, the office and its operation have been consolidated into the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights led by Kevin McDonald. This motion was later withdrawn and not placed on the Senate’s agenda.
Establishing a relationship with the Faculty Senate executive council and the Board of Visitors is of interest to both governing bodies. Newly appointed Rector Carlos M. Brown contacted the Faculty Senate Chair Jeri Seidman on February 26th, requesting a call between the leaders. Seidman was not aware that the Rector had already reached out to her at the time of the March 13th meeting. The two had a scheduled call on March 15th. On March 14th, Seidman contacted both the Rector and Vice Rector. Similarly, on March 14th, the Vice Rector Victoria D. Harker also responded to Seidman and stated that “restoring a transparent and collaborating working relationship with faculty, students, etc. is a primary goal of this Board.”
The General Service Administration (“GSA”) is an independent federal agency that creates “workplaces by constructing, managing, and preserving government buildings and by leasing and managing commercial real estate.” With the University marking its first year since the dissolvement of the Office of DEI, the return of DEI on Grounds remains unclear even with new leadership.
The future discussion between the executive council and the Board of Visitors on the return of DEI is up in the air as the Trump administration continues to leverage other pathways to continue its anti-DEI agenda. Most recently, the GSA published a proposal targeting DEI in schools. The proposal, initially published on January 23rd, 2026 and revised on February 18th, prohibits providing funding to states practising unlawful discrimination. The proposal also says that entities that receive federal funding can submit comments on the GSA’s proposal before March 30, 2026.
On October 22nd, The University signed on to an agreement with the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) to complete quarterly compliance reports to affirm its alignment with the Department’s guidance on federal funding until 2028. In return, the University will face no financial penalty. The agreement pauses the previous investigation by the DOJ on the University’s circumventing of Civil Rights Law. “This notable agreement with the University of Virginia will protect students and faculty from unlawful discrimination, ensuring that equal opportunity and fairness are restored,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division. The agreement left the executive council baffled on which federal action has legal recourse as the University looks to move forward after the events of 2025.
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