The Virginia Senate on Tuesday morning rejected the confirmation of all seven Richard Bland College board appointments, effectively effectively canceling the entire board of trustees.
With little public discussion, the Democratic-majority Senate voted 21-19 on Tuesday to approve a revised slate of governor’s board appointments that excludes Richard Bland College’s board picks. The vote means the board members, who were appointed by former Republican Gov. Glenn Younkin, are officially leaving the board after seven months in office, which included the hiring of an interim president earlier this month.
Youngkin appointed Richard Bland as its inaugural board member in July. The public two-year college in Virginia has only had its own board of trustees since last summer. The college was previously governed by a committee of William & Mary Board members, a structure that dates back to the 1960s when Richard Bland College was established as an expansion campus. However, the General Assembly approved legislation last year that would allow Richard Bland to have his own board of directors.
Under Virginia law, board members may serve after appointment even if they have not yet been confirmed. The inaugural board has held multiple meetings since its first meeting in August, with the next meeting scheduled for April. But now that Richard Bland’s choice has been formally rejected, a new slate of appointments must be made before a meeting can be held.
“The entire board has been replaced. It appears our terms expire not on the calendar but on the election cycle,” Christopher Winslow, one of the board members, wrote to us higher inside Ed via email.
John Rathbone, another former board member, said: “The inspection committee serves in accordance with the wishes of the General Assembly and we respect their wise decision in this matter.”
While Youngkin has strongly supported Republican donors and conservative politicians in his selections for the board, his nomination of Richard Bland broke with that practice. one Inside higher education Review found board pick Richard Bland donated more to Democrats than Republicans. While Youngkin appointed several former Republican congressmen to serve on various Virginia committees, his choice of Richard Bland was more bipartisan. Youngkin appointed three members with political backgrounds: James W. Dyke Jr., who served as Virginia’s education secretary under a Democratic governor; Winslow, who had held county office as a Republican; and St. Petersburg Mayor Samuel Parham, an independent who broke away from the Democratic Party several years ago.
“The 2025 Virginia General Assembly granted Richard Bland College an independent governing board, which discharged its responsibilities with the utmost care and stewardship,” President Debbie Sydow told Inside higher education. “The mid-year transition is disruptive, but I believe the governor [Abigail] The Board of Trustees appointed by Spanberger will govern Richard B. Brand College with the same conscientiousness. “
Democrats’ rejection of multiple board appointments essentially gave Spanberger more control over university board seats, a power she exercised on her first day in office when she appointed 27 board members at the University of Virginia, George Mason University and Virginia Military Institute.
While Richard Bland was hit hardest by Tuesday’s rejection, board picks from other national institutions were also rejected. High-profile individuals who have been rejected include former Republican U.S. Representative Eric Cantor, who Youngkin has appointed to the William & Mary Board of Trustees; and Michael Poliakoff, president and CEO of the U.S. Board of Trustees and Alumni, who has been appointed to the Longwood University Board of Trustees.
