Top UVA officials resign after pressure from soon-to-be governor Spanberger: NYT
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) -- Multiple University of Virginia (UVA) board members have stepped down after, less than 24 hours before her inauguration, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) requested that they do so, according to the New York Times (NYT).
On Friday, Jan. 16, three members of the UVA Board of Visitors submitted their resignations, including rector Rachel Sheridan, vice rector Porter Wilkinson and board member Paul Manning, per the NYT.
They did so following pressure from Spanberger, who will be inaugurated as Virginia's 75th governor on Saturday, Jan. 17. According to the NYT, two more of them were also asked to resign, but have resisted.
Prior to Friday's resignations, the Board had 12 members -- and all of them were appointed by Spanberger's soon-to-be-predecessor, outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).
UVA has been at the center of a political firestorm for some time now. Leaders have spent months battling it out over what they believe to be the truth behind former UVA president Jim Ryan’s resignation.
In late June 2025, Ryan said he would resign after the Trump administration called on him to do so amid an investigation into “the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.” At the time, Ryan said he would not put UVA in jeopardy “by fight[ing] the federal government in order to save [his] own job.”
Then, in mid-November 2025, Spanberger asked the board to pause its search for UVA’s next president until a full board could be appointed following her inauguration. She said such a delay would help rebuild public trust in the board and its intentions.
Spanberger’s request sent sparks flying, with Youngkin accusing her of sharing false claims about the Board of Visitors and Ryan’s resignation.
Soon after, Ryan detailed the events he says led to his resignation in a letter to the UVA Faculty Senate, responding to a similar letter from other board members. He made a variety of accusations, including that top board members Sheridan and Wilkinson took a leading role in negotiating his resignation with the DOJ without his knowledge.
That same day, by an overwhelming majority, the UVA Faculty Senate passed a resolution asking not only that the presidential search be paused until after Spanberger’s inauguration, but that Sheridan and Wilkinson step down.
In late December 2025, the UVA Board of Visitors went against both Spanberger and the UVA Faculty Senate's wishes and appointed a new president: Scott C. Beardsley, who was the Dean of the UVA Darden School of Business.
"Governor Youngkin’s decision to advance the appointment of a new president at the University of Virginia in the waning days of his administration, just as Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger prepares to assume office, raises serious concerns about process, institutional norms, and respect for a democratic transition," said Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi (D) in a statement at the time of this announcement.
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8News has reached out to UVA, as well as Spanberger's press team, for more information on this incident. We have yet to hear back as of the time of reporting.
This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.
