06/28/12: Covering unpleasantness at U.Va.

This op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot on the date shown.

THE MEETING lasted less than the announced 30 minutes. When it was over, Teresa Sullivan was once again president of the University of Virginia, the result of a unanimous vote by the 15-member Board of Visitors. The Board also gave a unanimous vote of confidence to its rector, Virginia Beach developer Helen Dragas.

Everything Tuesday was orchestrated to make it appear that the rift between the two women was over, right down to the two of them walking into the meeting together.

U.Va. is one big happy family again.

Or maybe not.

What the past two weeks have given us is a glimpse into what goes on in higher education. Boards, at least in Virginia, are plum political appointments, handed out by governors to large donors, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. A position on the U.Va. board is among the most prestigious appointments.

College presidents have historically come up through the ranks of academia. Eighty percent of presidents nationwide have such a background, according to a recent survey by the American Council on Education. The most common previous position for a president is chief academic officer, a position Sullivan held prior to coming to U.Va.

It should be no surprise, then, that there is a conflict between governing boards and college presidents. That’s what was exposed in the recent unpleasantness, to quote Larry Sabato, the U.Va. political science professor. Big donors are more likely to be business people, used to the nimbleness required to successfully navigate that environment. Colleges and universities tend to rely more on culture — “we’ve always done it this way” — and act more slowly.

The goal of business is simple: to make a profit. The goal of colleges is education. In the case of U.Va., it’s to educate “leaders in practical affairs and public service.”

That doesn’t mean that U.Va.’s leaders aren’t and shouldn’t be cognizant of the pieces — state funding, tuition and fees, attracting students, faculty salaries, donations — that contribute to a financially healthy university. In order to provide an education, those leaders must be.

The fastest-growing part of a presidents’ time, according to the ACE survey, goes to fundraising. Increasingly, governing boards are turning to non-academics to lead universities. Fundraisers. That 20 percent of college presidents not from academia is up from 13 percent six years ago.

Just last week, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels was named president of Purdue University, that state’s second-largest public school.

Despite the fact that students, faculty and staff, when surveyed, agreed it was “essential that the new president have academic credentials equal to a tenured full professor,” the 10-member board — eight appointed by the governor — chose Daniels, who lacks those credentials.

The turmoil at U.Va. may appear settled for now, but the issues that gave rise to it certainly aren’t. Instead, they lurk just beneath the surface, certain to reappear, I suspect sooner rather than later. When they do, the lessons learned this time will make certain that the transition — when it comes — will be a smoother one.