That would make UVa a joke. Who would apply for the job knowing they would be bounced in 4 years when the next governor takes over and reverses course (Va is famous for electing opposite party of WH occupants)
You're correct. If the job becomes "If the Governorship changes parties, you're out", then no one of any credibility will take the job. I don't agree with the BOV making the hire, but I'm also not blind to the fact that if the Presidency changes with a Governor's appointments to the BOV, then U.Va. suffers.
I might feel differently if the BOV had appointed an unqualified political hack like Ben Sasse. But, Beardsley has done a good job at Darden for a decade. Firing someone like that less than a year in his term will deter academics from the job, and you'll end up with former Senators/Governors like Sasse in the President's chair to match the BOV's politics (D or R depending on who the Governor is). Ask Florida how that went...or Harvard with Larry Summers.
Agree. UVA is, at its core, a multi-billion dollar business and hospital. A guy with decades of experience advising large businesses and then multiple stints as a professional school dean seems like a very solid choice. Plus, he’s got a doctorate in education with a focus in higher education management from Penn and a Masters from Oxford.
Most importantly, he already knows UVA well. I also totally get the concerns about the process, but this seems like a perfectly unobjectionable—even good—pick. Even with a year-long search and a boatload of Spanberger picks, I’m not sure the committee could do any better.
Lastly, the fact that this guy’s been Dean of Darden, and no one on here knew his name until today suggests that he’s pretty good at keeping his head down, himself out of the limelight, and steering the ship.
Universities arent businesses, and hospitals shouldnt be either. Universities are educational institutions, education is a public service, not a business opportunity. If you push into the parts of University administration that are business like and make that your whole thing then you ultimately make the University worse overall. Corners are cut, prices are raised, all in the name of making the profit margin of an institution that shouldnt be concerned about profit margins look better.
You presumably live in and around charlottesville (hence being on the charlottesville subreddit). Charlottesville is currently having long standing issues with things like housing affordability, tax base, and other things caused in part due to a very unequal relationship with UVa that UVa has long exploited for its own gain. If you put a business person in charge, especially one that apparently worked well enough at McKinsey and Company to survive there for more than 2 decades, then they are just going to exploit that relationship even more, to the detriment of the local community.
I would also suggest that by accepting this job, given the ongoing controversy, Dean Beardsley is showing a lack of good judgement. Because even if he was unequivocally a good or even the best pick, hes now going to have to deal with a significant number of students, faculty, staff, and a board of visitors and state government, that all feel upset about him taking the job. They're going to feel like they got cheated, even if he does a good job they will be comparing him to a mythical ideal president (one that likely would never exist anyway) and that will make it much harder to do his job, even if he legitimately is doing everything in the best interest of both the university and the wider community.
Corners are cut, like graduate students not getting paid on time? Like many campus workers not being paid “a living wage?”
Costs going up like higher education is the only thing that is outpaced pricing increases faster than healthcare?
The only way to make college more affordable is to lower the cost, which means lower the overhead and raise private funds for scholarships.
Several universities across the country have dedicated their endowment to providing tuition free education for students whose families make less than $200,000 a year
THAT would be a public service
He seems to be an incredible fundraiser. I’m not sure how well he can connect to the needs of current undergraduate students and their families. But then again, Sullivan didn’t have much personality either and she stuck around for awhile.
My best friend from my Darden days is a Rob Reiner liberal. He has been friends with Beardsley since undergrad days. I’ll take his word for his character and qualifications
From what I’ve seen he’s raised Darden’s reputation, which UVA sorely needs
He has great vision — just look at the smashing success of the Forum Hotel. Plus that all came from working with key alumni at IHG hotels so he knows how to work the network that he is not a member of
He is a great fund raiser — maybe UVa won’t have to worry about federal interference if they don’t have to rely on outside funding
As a former competitor of his in the consulting world, I respect his skills despite his working for the Evil Empire that is McK
As for the process - the BOV requires a majority to form a quorum and a majority to pass a vote. You don’t have to be the Dean of Darden to know 12 is a majority of 17
As for waiting for Spanberger — UVA selected Ryan in September of 2017, also an election year, and no one waited to see is Northam would blow it
Finally, the idea of taking politics out of the BOV is laughable — they are appointed by politicians. And the current dream scenario for taking politics out of the BOV involves the new Governor firing the BOV members appointed by the opposite party and replacing them with members aligned with her political vision to install a UVA President who adheres to their values and policies
Say that out loud a few times and let me know when you hear it.
That’s the kind of thinking I’d hear from my Honduran relatives. Virginia SHOULD be better than a banana republic
Wow. This is so incredibly spot-on. Another point is that having a President will now make it easier to fill the Provost opening and the McIntire dean opening and several others. Spanberger should bless this appointment ASAP so that the clear message can be sent in those executive searches that UVa is a stable place.
Friday afternoon news drop, never suspicious
Congratulations to the new shortest-reigning president in UVa's history.
That would make UVa a joke. Who would apply for the job knowing they would be bounced in 4 years when the next governor takes over and reverses course (Va is famous for electing opposite party of WH occupants)
You're correct. If the job becomes "If the Governorship changes parties, you're out", then no one of any credibility will take the job. I don't agree with the BOV making the hire, but I'm also not blind to the fact that if the Presidency changes with a Governor's appointments to the BOV, then U.Va. suffers.
I might feel differently if the BOV had appointed an unqualified political hack like Ben Sasse. But, Beardsley has done a good job at Darden for a decade. Firing someone like that less than a year in his term will deter academics from the job, and you'll end up with former Senators/Governors like Sasse in the President's chair to match the BOV's politics (D or R depending on who the Governor is). Ask Florida how that went...or Harvard with Larry Summers.
Uva is a joke. It’s just a joke that has a lot of money.
Oh boy
Beardsley is a good guy. I don't like the process or BOV but he's solid.
Agree. UVA is, at its core, a multi-billion dollar business and hospital. A guy with decades of experience advising large businesses and then multiple stints as a professional school dean seems like a very solid choice. Plus, he’s got a doctorate in education with a focus in higher education management from Penn and a Masters from Oxford.
Most importantly, he already knows UVA well. I also totally get the concerns about the process, but this seems like a perfectly unobjectionable—even good—pick. Even with a year-long search and a boatload of Spanberger picks, I’m not sure the committee could do any better.
Lastly, the fact that this guy’s been Dean of Darden, and no one on here knew his name until today suggests that he’s pretty good at keeping his head down, himself out of the limelight, and steering the ship.
Universities arent businesses, and hospitals shouldnt be either. Universities are educational institutions, education is a public service, not a business opportunity. If you push into the parts of University administration that are business like and make that your whole thing then you ultimately make the University worse overall. Corners are cut, prices are raised, all in the name of making the profit margin of an institution that shouldnt be concerned about profit margins look better.
You presumably live in and around charlottesville (hence being on the charlottesville subreddit). Charlottesville is currently having long standing issues with things like housing affordability, tax base, and other things caused in part due to a very unequal relationship with UVa that UVa has long exploited for its own gain. If you put a business person in charge, especially one that apparently worked well enough at McKinsey and Company to survive there for more than 2 decades, then they are just going to exploit that relationship even more, to the detriment of the local community.
I would also suggest that by accepting this job, given the ongoing controversy, Dean Beardsley is showing a lack of good judgement. Because even if he was unequivocally a good or even the best pick, hes now going to have to deal with a significant number of students, faculty, staff, and a board of visitors and state government, that all feel upset about him taking the job. They're going to feel like they got cheated, even if he does a good job they will be comparing him to a mythical ideal president (one that likely would never exist anyway) and that will make it much harder to do his job, even if he legitimately is doing everything in the best interest of both the university and the wider community.
Corners are cut, like graduate students not getting paid on time? Like many campus workers not being paid “a living wage?”
Costs going up like higher education is the only thing that is outpaced pricing increases faster than healthcare?
The only way to make college more affordable is to lower the cost, which means lower the overhead and raise private funds for scholarships.
Several universities across the country have dedicated their endowment to providing tuition free education for students whose families make less than $200,000 a year THAT would be a public service
I know him, not well, through the Darden alumni network. People that I do know very well like him and respect him.
He seems to be an incredible fundraiser. I’m not sure how well he can connect to the needs of current undergraduate students and their families. But then again, Sullivan didn’t have much personality either and she stuck around for awhile.
My best friend from my Darden days is a Rob Reiner liberal. He has been friends with Beardsley since undergrad days. I’ll take his word for his character and qualifications From what I’ve seen he’s raised Darden’s reputation, which UVA sorely needs He has great vision — just look at the smashing success of the Forum Hotel. Plus that all came from working with key alumni at IHG hotels so he knows how to work the network that he is not a member of He is a great fund raiser — maybe UVa won’t have to worry about federal interference if they don’t have to rely on outside funding As a former competitor of his in the consulting world, I respect his skills despite his working for the Evil Empire that is McK As for the process - the BOV requires a majority to form a quorum and a majority to pass a vote. You don’t have to be the Dean of Darden to know 12 is a majority of 17 As for waiting for Spanberger — UVA selected Ryan in September of 2017, also an election year, and no one waited to see is Northam would blow it Finally, the idea of taking politics out of the BOV is laughable — they are appointed by politicians. And the current dream scenario for taking politics out of the BOV involves the new Governor firing the BOV members appointed by the opposite party and replacing them with members aligned with her political vision to install a UVA President who adheres to their values and policies Say that out loud a few times and let me know when you hear it. That’s the kind of thinking I’d hear from my Honduran relatives. Virginia SHOULD be better than a banana republic
Wow. This is so incredibly spot-on. Another point is that having a President will now make it easier to fill the Provost opening and the McIntire dean opening and several others. Spanberger should bless this appointment ASAP so that the clear message can be sent in those executive searches that UVa is a stable place.