An upbeat Teresa Sullivan welcomed members of the local media this morning in a Madison Hall conference room for an informal Q&A session. She entertained questions for 45 minutes and later hosted a grand tour of her freshly painted presidential office.
Sullivan, the eighth president of the University of Virginia, took over the reigns from John Casteen on August 1. By her account, she found the UVA “in remarkably good shape.” A recent announcement by the Princeton Review, which named UVA the best value in higher education and second best in its financial aid rankings, certainly didn’t hurt.
“I guess the only thing I would like to change is to make us number one in financial aid, too,” said Sullivan.
UVA’s rankings are significant in view of the numerous budget cuts the University has undertaken for the last few years and the diminishing state support.
Sullivan acknowledged a few areas of concern, namely the lack of raises for faculty and staff during the past three years. “Your best faculty members are free agents,” said Sullivan. “We will do our best to convince them that the University of Virginia is the very best place for them to pursue their careers.”
Another issue on the president’s radar is the imminent retirement of UVA COO Leonard Sandridge, who has agreed to postpone his departure until June of next year, and work part-time as an adviser to Sullivan after he retires. A search for Sandridge’s successor will begin in October, after Sullivan has reviewed and studied his portfolio. Provost Arthur Garson will also leave UVA for the University of Texas.
Among Sullivan’s list of priorities is "careful attention to the internal budget allocation process," a step she says will give college deans more stability regarding their future budgets. Similar attention will be paid to UVA’s finances—from alumni donors to the school’s capital campaign—during a time of shrinking state support
More after the photo.
Sullivan inherited UVA’s massive $3 billion capital campaign, launched by Casteen. In 2009, the University reached the $2 billion mark. “It’s not surprising that the capital campaign has perhaps encountered more difficulties than before,” said Sullivan. Donors, said Sullivan, remain loyal to the University even during difficult economic times.
“They haven’t left us, and for the long run that is the most important thing,” she said. “I am really confident that we will do well in this capital campaign.”
Asked about the possibility of future layoffs and increases in teaching loads, Sullivan responded, “Not being able to predict the economic future, I don’t want to be committed to a policy of never." She added that human capital is the most important feature of a University budget.
When asked about campus and personal safety after the May 3 killing of lacrosse player Yeardley Love, allegedly by fellow student athlete George Huguely, Sullivan said she felt personally affected by the tragedy. While building a bubble around Grounds is not an option, the president emphasized that safety has been a strong emphasis for all students. “It has been hit very hard in every freshman orientation program. It is included in the letter that I am sending the parents, and it will be included in my message to the parents when they are here,” she said.
After the Yeardley Love homicide, Casteen advocated for a law that would require police to notify the University when UVA students are arrested. Sullivan said that since 2004, the student handbook dictated that students were to disclose their arrests to the University.
“My understanding is that we are now changing this from a passive notification system to a more active notification system,” said Sullivan. In the new system, students will have to disclose any arrests before they access NetBadge, the system by which they access their e-mail accounts and course materials; a dishonest response will constitute a violation of the UVA Honor Code.