We now know that the members of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors don't like incremental change. They wanted dramatic change and they got...drama. Apparently, after pondering the matter, they're sticking with the strategy. Theresa Sullivan is still gone and they haved named Carl Zeithaml, the current dean of the undergraduate business program to the interim post.
Thanks to the Richmond Times-Dispatch we can find a draft of Sullivan's strategic plan for the university. Others may disagree, but I found it to be honest, clear-eyed, and smart. She sees the school's strengths and challenges. I suspect that some at UVa might have found her to be too clear-eyed, calling, as she did, for reallocation of resources from frosh/soph courses. But in an era of interdisciplinarity, it's hard to imagine a better candidate for university president than a person skilled at bridge building and a strongly committed to the academic enterprise.
Wouldn't it be ironic if Sullivan got hired to lead a university with - God forbid - a higher US News ranking than UVa?
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