College and University Governance: The University of Virginia Governing Board’s Attempt to Remove the President

Read a May 2013 update issued by the AAUP's Committee on College and University Governance.

The report documents a major breakdown in governance at UVA, focusing on the role of the board of visitors and its rector, Helen Dragas, who initiated the effort to force the president’s resignation. It finds that the events at the university resulted from “a failure by those charged with institutional oversight to understand the institution over which they presided and to engage with the administration and the faculty in an effort to be well informed.”

The text of this report was written by the members of the investigating committee. In accordance with Association practice, the text was edited by the Association’s staff, and with the concurrence of the investigating committee was submitted to the Committee on College and University Governance. With that committee’s approval, the report was then sent to the chair of the university’s governing board, to the university’s president and other administrative officers, to the chair of the faculty senate, and to other persons concerned. In light of the responses received, this final report was published on the AAUP's website in March 2013.