University of Virginia Board of Trustees blasts state lawmakers as “extremists” and denounces faculty as “out of control” in a batch of text messages they released washington post.
Richmond writer Jeff Thomas sued the university to release communications between board members and university officials between June 2023 and last month; he subsequently released 947 pages of information to the newspaper.
In recent months, an inspection committee made up of Republican donors and other politicians has ignored calls from state lawmakers, including Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, to suspend the presidential campaign. The search ended last month with an internal hire, despite multiple critics pointing to process issues and state lawmakers expressing displeasure.
Text messages show that board members reacted violently last year when the Democratic-controlled board rejected several of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s picks for the university board. The governor lost an ensuing legal battle over the pick, and several boards are still reeling.
In August, UVA Board of Trustees President Rachel Sheridan texted Jim Donovan, one of the rejected nominees, saying the convention’s refusal to approve Youngkin’s nominee was “extremely disappointing. Completely unprecedented and damaging.” Sheridan added, “I hope this will backfire politically and expose them as extremists.”
Sheridan has not apologized or retracted his stance since the text messages were released. in a statement postal and Inside higher education”, she wrote, “I respect the General Assembly’s authority on these issues, but also agree The four were frustrated that they were summarily rejected without consideration of their merits and the value they already brought to the university community and the value they could continue to bring to the university community. ”
Her comments underscore tensions between the Board of Trustees and the General Assembly that have grown since President Jim Ryan resigned under pressure in June and the university signed an agreement with the Justice Department in October to end multiple investigations into alleged civil rights violations.
In other text messages, Vice Chancellor Porter Wilkinson expressed frustration with UVA’s Faculty Senate, which is demanding answers about whether Ryan was ousted by the Board of Trustees and the Department of Justice’s agreement.
When Board of Visitors Secretary Scott Ballenger texted Wilkinson in October, the College Senate was discussing a resolution calling for a meeting with Sheridan and then-interim President Paul Mahoney. Mahoney, Wilkinson responded, “This is crazy.” When Wilkinson told her that the Faculty Senate was considering a resolution of no confidence in Mahoney, Wilkinson wrote, “It would be so embarrassing for them.” In response to another text message from Ballenger, she added, “This is getting out of hand.”
The released text messages also revealed drama behind the scenes at the boardroom. Robert Hardie, the Democratic-appointed former chancellor who later resigned from the board, vaguely mentioned in a text message to Sheridan that an “unhinged” board member threatened university administrators.
Hardy called board members Stephen P. Long and “BE” (presumably Burt Ellis) “assholes.” (Ellis was ousted by Youngkin in late March for his combative style on the board.) Hardy referred to board members “BE,” Long, Douglas Wetmore and Paul Harris as “the four horses and donkeys.” [sic]. Hardy also complained that a member he did not name was trying to cause controversy and “food fights.”
The entire batch of text messages can be read here.
The release of the texts, prompted by legal action, comes as the University of Virginia has been slow to respond to public records requests, drawing criticism from local lawmakers and others. University of Virginia has not yet fulfilled public records request regarding communications with federal officials, citing ‘significant backlog’ Inside higher education October.
