On June 10 the University of Virginia announced that the board of visitors and Teresa A. Sullivan had “mutually agreed” that she would step down as president of the university, effective August 15. She has been president for two years and is the only woman to have served as president of the University of Virginia.
In a statement, Dr. Sullivan said, “It’s been a great honor to serve as president of the University of Virginia. Although the board and I have a philosophical difference of opinion, I will always treasure having had the opportunity to work with so many gifted faculty and staff, talented students and loyal alumni.”
Published reports stated that several board members were not satisfied with the university’s pace in adapting to new technologies and the realities of online education and believed that the university was in danger of falling behind its competitors.
Students, faculty, and administrators came to Dr. Sullivan’s defense. Protests were held on campus and the governor ordered the board to right the ship or they would all be replaced. The board has now voted unanimously to reinstate Dr. Sullivan as president.
Before coming to the University of Virginia in 2010, Dr. Sullivan was provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and professor of sociology at the University of Michigan. From 2006 to 2010, she was executive vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Texas System.
Dr. Sullivan is a graduate of Michigan State University. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago.