UVA President search continues with three meetings scheduled through January 6

The twelve remaining voting members of the University of Virginia’s governing body will meet at least twice before the administration of Governor Glenn Youngkin gives way to Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger.

Spanberger has asked that UVA pause the process while Youngkin has asked Spanberger to not interfere. 

The Board of Visitors will meet on December 19 and January 6 in Charlottesville, following a meeting today of the Special Committee on the Search for a President. Seven BOV members are on the panel. This meeting is scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. in the President’s Conference Room of Madison Hall. 

“The purpose of this meeting is to discuss candidates for the position of president,” reads the splash page for the event.

The meeting will not be live-streamed but portions are open to the public. 

Both Rector Rachel Sheridan and Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson are on the special committee as are BOV members Marvin Gilliam, Paul Manning, John Nau, David Okonkwko, Amanda Pillion,  faculty member James Lambert, and student member Gregory D. Perryman Jr.. See the full list of committee members here. 

Youngkin appointed all seven members and all were confirmed by the General Assembly. That has not been the case for five people appointed in 2025 whose nominations did not make it out of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. Democrats currently control the Virginia Senate 21 to 19 and committee members sued when Youngkin wanted them to serve anyway. 

In November, the Virginia Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a decision by a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge that upheld the legislature’s check on Virginia’s executive branch. On Monday, the case returned to Fairfax County and was continued to June 2026. That effectively means that Spanberger will appoint people to the five vacant seats after she takes office on January 17. 

Meanwhile, the presidential search continues. 

According to a chart on the presidential search website, the search is still in the discovery phase with applications under review. 

The next phase is “selection” which includes identifying finalists for the Board of Visitors. The next steps are to “convene Board of Visitors to elect next president” and “transition in new president.”

The two Board meetings will also not be live-streamed. 

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