The College Fix

The board of the University of Virginia will meet to reconsider its forced resignation of President Teresa Sullivan. A huge campus backlash against the decision to boot Sullivan has caused the board to take a second look. Inside Higher Ed notes that this series of events is unprecedented in academic administration:

If the board decides to keep Sullivan as the university’s president — and if Sullivan agrees to stay — the move would be unprecedented, particularly at an institution with the profile of U.Va. Presidents rarely get second chances. Sullivan and the board would face major looming questions about how they will interact, what will happen to various administrators who took positions (for and against Sullivan and board members) over the past weeks, the strategic direction of the university, the pace of change and how the university will confront challenges.

While the reappointment of Sullivan would make most faculty members and others happy, it will also be seen as an admission — at least by some members of the board, a board that until this month was regularly viewed as one of the most responsible in the country — that they mistakenly acquiesced to the dismissal of a president without a good enough reason, and that they don’t have confidence in the board’s leadership.

The last time the board met, the meeting lasted for close to 12 hours. Based on the conflicting statements out of the board Thursday and the seismic shifts that seem to be happening daily in Charlottesville, the meeting on Tuesday could be another protracted showdown.

Will Sullivan survive?

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