CHARLOTTESVILLE — The University of Virginia on Friday named the longtime dean of its business school as the flagship’s next president, despite calls from Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) and others to pause the search for the top post until Spanberger takes office next month.
The move caps a tumultuous year for U-Va., which saw former president James E. Ryan resign this summer amid pressure from the Trump administration over diversity, equity and inclusion policies, as well as protests and jockeying among state politicians over how the institution should move forward. It could spark backlash on campus and in the incoming governor’s mansion.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Scott C. Beardsley, dean of the Darden School of Business since 2015, had emerged as the top candidate in a months-long process that included dozens of applicants but drew concerns from some faculty, students and others over the effectiveness of the school’s governing board.
Beardsley was unanimously approved as U-Va’s president by the Board of Visitors, which convened a special meeting Friday afternoon.
Ahead of the meeting, a few dozen protesters gathered outside and called for the board members to resign. They held signs reading “pause” and “no confidence, no new president.”
The past year has been a challenging one for U-Va., which has been thrust into several partisan fights among state and federal officials this year. That included the Justice Department launching several probes into DEI policies and the university’s response to antisemitism.
Amid the negotiations, Ryan, board member Paul Manning and others have said the Justice Department made clear that the university would risk losing its federal funding if there wasn’t a change in leadership. Ryan said he stepped down to avoid a costly fight.
The presidential search committee was announced in July, held its first meeting in August and has said it received dozens of applications.
But last month, Spanberger, a U-Va. graduate, urged the board to pause the searchuntil after she took office as governor and could appoint new members. The faculty senate and nine of U-Va.’s 14 deans echoed the call in recent weeks.
“We believe the risks of a quick appointment far outweigh any benefits,” the deans wrote this month in a letter to the board.
Beardsley did not sign the letter.
The call for a delay drew criticism, including from Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who appointed the 12 voting members on the U-Va. governing board and said the search should continue as planned. Members of the U-Va. board and search committee have defended the process as thorough and praised the candidates as extraordinarily qualified.
Last week, the university announced three meetings: one of the search committee and two special meetings of the Board of Visitors for Friday and Jan. 6.
At its meeting, the search committee recommended as many as four finalists, said two people familiar with the matter. Interim president Paul Mahoney, a former law school dean who has been active in the Federalist Society, was a favorite of some conservatives to stay on as U-Va. president. But he was not one of the four, the people said.
Since becoming interim president, Mahoney struck a deal with the Trump administration in October to pause its investigations, an agreement that did not require the university to pay a fine or be under an external monitor but did require the school to submit quarterly reports to show it is in compliance with civil rights law. Some on campus objected to the deal, but others defended it, saying it was better than deals struck by other universities with the administration.
But board rector Rachel Sheridan pushed back on an attempt to include Mahoney as a finalist for the permanent job, according to three people familiar with the matter. Several committee members said they would resign or go public with issues with the search if Mahoney was chosen, the people said.
On Thursday, Sheridan declined to answer questions about the board’s deliberations and did not respond to an additional request on the possible pick.
“In order to protect the confidentiality of the committee’s work, I can’t comment on any of these claims,” Sheridan said in an email. “The special committee has helped oversee a robust, transparent, and diverse search process, which has aided the Board tremendously as we evaluate candidates to lead the University as the 10th president.”
Beardsley was reappointed to a third term as dean of the Darden school last year. During his tenure, the business school has expanded academic programs, grown its enrollment and received more than $610 million in gifts for the schools, the university said in a news release on his reappointment.
Beardsley also is serving as chair of a search for U-Va.’s next provost.
Before joining U-Va., Beardsley spent more than two decades at the consulting firm McKinsey & Co., including serving as a senior partner.
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