Amid a court battle over appointments, UVA begins president search despite Democrats’ opposition

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury
July 28, 2025

The search is underway for the University of Virginia’s next president, but the timing of the process could put the school’s officials at odds with state lawmakers, who have asked the governing board to delay selecting its next leader until a pending lawsuit over college board appointments plays out.

On Friday afternoon, UVA leaders announced the formation of a special committee to nominate the institution’s next president, which will be responsible for guiding the process of identifying and recommending candidates to the Board of Visitors to serve as UVA’s 10th president. This action follows a similar vetting process currently being used by the Virginia Military Institute, after the governing board opted not to renew the contract of Ret. Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, the school’s first Black leader whose term ended earlier this year. 

Two days earlier before UVA’s announcement, House and Senate Democratic leaders urged UVA not to take any action, primarily because a gubernatorial appointee to the governing board—former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a former deputy secretary of Homeland Security with the first President Donald Trump administration — was rejected by Democratic lawmakers. 

The Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections, composed of some members of the full Senate body, rebuffed Cuccinelli and seven others on June 9. Leaders are seeking a court order to prevent the eight rejected appointees from remaining on the governing boards at UVA, VMI, and George Mason University.

“These boards just don’t seem very interested in following Virginia law or listening to anything that the entity that controls them says,” Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said on Friday outside a Fairfax County Courtroom after Circuit Court Judge Jonathan D. Frieden heard the Senate Democrats’ case against the rectors of the three institutions for allowing their rejected appointments to continue serving on the boards. Surrovell stated repeatedly that the board should refrain from finding a permanent president, considering the state of the board’s appointments.

‘Totally irresponsible’

UVA, in its announcement, said that the special committee would include students, faculty, staff, alumni, and former and sitting members of the Board of Visitors. 

Chief among the committee’s requirements is “inviting” and “incorporating a broad and inclusive range of perspectives from across UVA’s vibrant community.”

UVA created the committee following the departure of former President Jim Ryan, who stepped down after the U.S. Department of Justice, under the direction of the Trump administration, put pressure on the institution due to Title VI complaints and political scrutiny over its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on campus.

Jennifer Davis, UVA’s chief administrative, business and operations officer, is serving as interim president.

House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, cautioned UVA against making any decisions on its next president during a joint press conference with leaders from the House and Senate on July 24, advising them that lawmakers could make changes in January. He said any such action would be “totally irresponsible” and an act of disrespecting and ignoring the General Assembly.

“They probably should put a freeze on any hiring because we will not support whatever it is that they do,” Scott said last week. “This is an illegitimate board right now that has been appointed and been told that they will not be appointed permanently. So if they go about selecting a president when they know they will not be there in January, that’s wrong.”

Lawsuit background

Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration has supported all the rejected appointees serving on their respective governing boards until the entire General Assembly reconvenes, which is scheduled for January unless the governor calls a special session.

In the lawsuit, Democratic lawmakers are asking the court to bar the eight contested board members from continuing to serve and declare that any board member who permits them to remain is violating their legal duties. Among the rejected appointments were GOP stalwarts, including Cuccinelli and former state commerce and trade secretary Caren Merrick.

Representatives of the institutions argued that the case is “flawed,” is targeting the wrong plaintiffs and defendants, and that the nine senators failed to show irreparable harm.

Judge Frieden said he plans to have a decision by the end of the day on Tuesday. If a preliminary injunction is granted, a request is likely to be made to suspend any action with a judge’s decision by Friday morning.

VMI, GMU also moving forward

VMI is continuing its search on Tuesday and Wednesday for a president after opting not to extend the contract of the institution’s first Black superintendent in February. 

George Mason’s board is scheduled to meet in closed session to “discuss the performance goals of the President” on Friday.

GMU President Gregory Washington has recently come under attack after the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched a federal civil rights investigation at the school. The investigation stems from a complaint filed by multiple professors who accuse GMU of giving unlawful preference in hiring and promotion to faculty from “underrepresented groups” in the name of anti-racism. 

OCR officials argue the university’s DEI practices, in place since 2020, constitute “pernicious and widespread discrimination” that runs afoul of federal law, a position the school vehemently denies.

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