Sorta live coverage of the UVA BOV retreat in Richmond
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Rector Dragas and University spokesperson Carol Wood, who Dragas commandeered during the crisis, look out on the board room.hawes spencer -
Provost John Simon and President Teresa Sullivan share a pre-meeting laugh.hawes spencer -
Dr. Terry MacTaggart opens the meeting by acknowledging the recent crisis.hawes spencer
This is a blog-style story about the UVA BOV meeting in Richmond. We'll update as things happen:
1:28pm - Hook editor asks a certain board member to confirm that he's gonna pay for the Rector's use of the Hill & Knowlton public relations firm. "Let's talk about that," says the board member. "But not right now."
1:29pm - Hook editor greets former Johns Hopkins Dean Edward Miller by saying, "Ah, you were going to be the interim president." No comment.
1:29pm - Local business couple Albie Tabackman and Joan Fenton say hello. They're recording the meeting for posterity.
1:39pm - Rector Helen Dragas begins speaking, "Let me begin by acknowledging the many difficulties of the last few months...."
1:49pm - "This is obviously an awkward situation," says paid facilitator Dr. Terry MacTaggart.
2:14pm - MacTaggart: "Does online education keep you awake at night?"
2:16pm - New special advisor Bill Goodwin says he doesn't take such a dim view of UVA's situation.
2:31pm - BOVer John Nau frets that all Virginia colleges are "bucketed" together financially by the General Assembly.
2:37pm - MacTaggart: "The good boards are champions of the brand, champions of the reputation… and the culture of integrity. I have two words to illustrate what happens when you don't do that: Penn State."
2:46pm - In response to Hook questions in hotel hallway, Rector Dragas says, "I'm focused on this retreat and moving forward. It doesn't make sense to rehash the past at this point." (The questions were whether she can answer the 14-alum letter than seeks the "real" reasons she pushed out the president and why doesn't she resign.)
3:15pm - MacTaggart tells about school-merger plan in Maine. "The process didn't represent more than a clique." Once the press got wind of it, the plan collapsed.
3:47pm - Frosh BOVer and former JMU prez Lin Rose now suggests, as co-chair of new Special Committee on Strategic Planning, drafting a new strategic plan by the end of the academic year.
4:04pm: Rector calls for super-executive session and subsequent regular executive session to discuss legal and personnel matters. All media tossed out of meeting room.
–>And that's the end of our day. We'll be back tomorrow.
15 comments
Still the same old elites running the show. The deck chairs on the titanic have been rearranged. When are we going to see a UVA staff members, a few faculty members, some real student reps, and some middle class people at that table?
Why can't they just have a plain old discussion about what happened from last October through this June? Its a public university for goodness sake. Why won't Sulllvan just start talking about the huge elephant in the room?
She could take the lead on explaining what this all means for public higher education around the world. She could be a real leader, such an opportunity slipping away here.
"When are we going to see a UVA staff members, a few faculty members, some real student reps, and some middle class people at that table? " answer-No time.
They may add a token fac (like they did a token student); they will never add a staffer and as the U becomes ever more reliant on private money, the BOV will be more dominated by the rich. Only the deck chairs have been rearranged and more pluralistically coloured...
2:46pm: Way to go Hawes! Keep asking.
Why won't Sulllvan just start talking about the huge elephant in the room?
Probably not the most felicitous wording.
@ Eagle-eye: Perhaps you felt that last comment was amusing. It wasn't. Shame on you. You could have left it alone with your first sentence which was a fair enough question.
2:37pm - MacTaggart: "The good boards are champions of the brand, champions of the reputation… and the culture of integrity. I have two words to illustrate what happens when you don't do that: Penn State."
After the Kiernan/Jones/McDonnell/Dragas/Kington Coup, he could just have replaced UVa for Penn State.
At least we have one journalist pushing for answers- thank you Mr. Spencer .
BTW the huge elephant in the room I was referring to was Dragas' immense ego, why she is still on the BOV and Rector no less, the unexplained cause of the June events, the reasoning for lying and immoral behavior by BOV members.
Eagle Eye, cheap shot and mean spirited.
How about... "the skeleton in the closet"?
Dragas! Get it? Cuz she's so dad-gum skinny! Can I get a what what!!
Eagle eye - yeah, it was funny. What a bunch of PC scolds the rest of you are.
Typo fixed alert: "Let me begin by acknowledging the many difficulties of the last few months...." (not 'Let me begin my acknoledging...')--hawes spencer
"I'm focused on this retreat and moving forward. It doesn't make sense to rehash the past at this point."
"I'm focused on this retreat and moving forward. It doesn't make sense to rehash the past at this point."
"I'm focused on this retreat and moving forward. It doesn't make sense to rehash the past at this point."
I wonder how many times she practiced that line in front of a mirror.
@b17
That mantra does get old. Bottom line is she needs to be held accountable for her bad behavior. That's the only end game that will bring this sordid chapter to a close.
Our latest coverage on the UVA BOV: http://readthehook.com/106881/final-day-uva-bov-sorta-live-coverage-...
UVA must have faculty represented on its' BoV with voting privileges. This is only due to Dragas' attempt to oust President Sullivan. Doesn't President Sullivan deserve some support? Enough!
Will the General Assembly listen?