The Jefferson Council

At the most recent Faculty Senate meeting, Chair Jeri Seidman addressed the limited Board presence. “Some of you might have been hoping to see, you know, many BOV members here, but the Virginia Open Meeting laws make it difficult for more than two appointees to be present…

🔥 Harmeet Dhillon (@AAGDhillon) just called out UVA Law—her own alma mater—for playing the DEI “shell game” at today’s Senate Judiciary hearing on “Ending Illegal DEI Discrimination & Preferences.” “I went to University of Virginia Law School. They have done the same thing that…

One faculty senator pushed back on the no-confidence resolution’s demand that 75% of the presidential search committee be UVA employees—calling it unrealistic and out of step with peer institutions. “Just as a point of information, the Jim Ryan search committee was about 25% UVA…

The Jefferson Council led the charge for Jim Ryan’s resignation. Now the National Association of Scholars (@NASorg) has joined in—leaving no doubt that UVA is better off without him. “President-Emeritus Ryan was a dedicated proponent of imposing the discriminatory ideology and…

Another surreal moment from the UVA Faculty Senate ExCo meeting: “intellectual diversity” was treated like some sort of "nefarious" dog whistle. Lisa Peterson from the School of Engineering asked Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson why she used the term and whether it was “at the crux”…

Here’s @iLoveCVilleVA's @JerryMillerNow on the leadership crisis at UVA. “Look, it's no secret—the Board of Visitors has to stabilize this ship, and they have to do so immediately... They have to stabilize the organization. That’s the euphemism coming out of City Hall.” He’s…

UVA Launches Presidential Search Site—But Locks Out the Public At the latest UVA Faculty Senate meeting, Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson outlined the presidential search process: No timeline: “It will take as long as it takes to identify the next strong leader.” Interim…

VA Health CEO Craig Kent: Resigned February 2025 Provost Ian Baucom: Departed March 2025 President Ryan resignation: Announced June 27, 2025 UVA School of Medicine Dean Dr. Melina Kibbe departure: Announced July 16, 2025 UVA hospital CEO Wendy Horton departure: Announced July 17,…

Did you catch it? The Jefferson Council landed on the front page of the New York Times this week.

The Jefferson Council exposed these letters weeks ago. Now the rest of the country is catching up. The DOJ opened multiple investigations into a pattern of defiance and indifference at UVA—including a hate crime complaint from a Jewish student who said his roommate threatened him…

“Several board members had planned Monday to call a special board meeting... but Governor Glenn Youngkin was informed of the initiative and scuttled it over the weekend.” UVA is in crisis. The presidency, provostship, and top health leadership are all vacant. So where is the…

🚨 Third major resignation in five months at UVA. First it was K. Craig Kent. Then Jim Ryan. Now Melina Kibbe has been named the sole finalist to lead UTHealth Houston. The Jefferson Council's President Joel Gardner calls it what it is. “This is a situation that calls for…

UVA Faculty Senator Pushes Back on Blame Game: “Let’s Not Make This a Partisan Issue” At Friday’s Faculty Senate meeting, Dr. Kenan Yount of UVA’s School of Medicine delivered a rare reality check. While many faculty lined up to denounce the university’s Board of Visitors, Yount…

The New York Times story paints a dramatic picture, but the truth is simpler. When engaged citizens pay attention and don’t give way to ideology, they are a powerful tool for accountability. The Jefferson Council is a grassroots effort by alumni and citizens who refuse to let…

Faculty Senator: A Vote to Censure the Board Is Also a Vote to Censure Jim Ryan Amid faculty outrage over President Jim Ryan’s resignation and the DOJ civil rights probe, one senator delivered a sobering correction: the failure to involve the Faculty Senate wasn’t just a Board…

Michael J. Kennedy, UVA’s outgoing faculty representative to the Board of Visitors, delivered a quiet but revealing blow to the University’s leadership in a statement read at Friday’s Faculty Senate meeting. While Kennedy praised his year-long service as a model for…

🚨BREAKING: The UVA Faculty Senate has passed a resolution of no confidence in the Board of Visitors. The resolution raises sharp concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding President Jim Ryan’s resignation—and demands that UVA employees make up 75% of the search…