The incredible shrinking attack on U.S. universities continues. Cornell has signed an agreement—but unlike the UVA agreement, instead of pledging to follow the gov't's highly questionable July "guidance" on discrimination, Cornell simply agrees to hand it out to faculty as a "training resource"!

Some UVA faculty urged that a “no confidence” vote in the Board of Visitors would spoil the chance of productive partnership moving forward. But if the BOV won’t even respond to this polite (secret) letter FROM THE DEANS… the problems run so much deeper.

State Sen. Creigh Deeds asks the BOV: “What is your understanding of the importance of shared governance in a university? What is your understanding of the significance of having lost the confidence of the people who educate students in that university?” www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...

Columbia and Brown, by settling, have encouraged this tactic. Authoritarians are emboldened by capitulation, and they won't stop until the cost outweighs the benefits.

Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements This is a big deal

These are exactly the questions that need to be answered.

And, thank you @creighdeeds.bsky.social!

Cavalier Daily reports an important development that will certainly be on the mind of many BOV members on Monday. While I am not a lawyer, it appears to me that Deeds is establishing a legal basis for the GA to seek an injunction on the enactment of any Voluntary Settlement bsky.app/profile/dem8...

Good meeting with @uvahealth.bsky.social and @creighdeeds.bsky.social to discuss how UVA and schools in our Research Diamond are paving the way for medical innovation and economic opportunity. Our UVA Manning Institute For Biotechnology will be a hub to turn science into medicine that heals.

If you care about #UVA, sign this letter to the BoV and share the link. win.newmode.net/wahoos4uva/u...

Seems clear that the Columbia capitulation crosses the red line of academic freedom, if what Rashid Khalidi says here is accurate (and I have no reason to think it is not)

“The focus on monetary damages paid by the university and restrictions on campus protests and diversity policies obscures the Trump administration’s imposition of the right to interfere directly in university admissions, hiring, and promotion decisions.” —Aaron Nisenson, AAUP Senior Counsel

DOJ put out a memo stating that all recipients of federal funding must ban trans people from bathrooms. www.justice.gov/ag/media/140...

A typical summer in Charlottesville where everything looks the same around the grounds. Mothers in loose linen dresses and fathers in khaki cargo shorts, their children—prospective UVA students—in tow, tour the grounds. Nothing is the same. Everything has changed. For me, dread is redolent.

For higher education to function, students and faculty must be free to think and speak their minds. Students, faculty, and all who care about higher education must stand up and fight back against this unprecedented continuing assault. We have no choice. 4/4

coming here next, UVA. trump's doj is negotiating with our trumpist board as represented by a pet trump law firm to sell us out the same way. up to all of us to show them they are not the university

it is absolutely critical that the first priority of the new Virginia state legislature that will sit next January is to drastically reform the UVA Board of Visitors in both membership and organization, or they will be dismantling UVA next.

UVA announces presidential search committee. Noticeably few faculty members are on the list. view.mc.virginia.edu?qs=e828e5831...

Terrified that this is what's next for UVA.

There are 28 members on the committee to select a new president at UVA. There's exactly one faculty member from Arts & Sciences, the biggest school and the heart of undergraduate education. There are 10 members from a discredited board news.virginia.edu/content/uva-...

State senators express concern over political pressure at UVA

We condemn this campaign to exert ideological & political control over higher ed in Virginia, including these attempts to attack & displace our campus leaders. We will fight for the independence of George Mason, UVa, & every public college & university in VA. — Tim Gibson, AAUP Virginia President

it’s not even that the board is only giving lip service to the idea of working with anyone else in the community—everyone knows they’re lying about that—it’s that the lip service they’re giving is the rector pursing hers in sheer shock & disdain at the idea she ever might have to face a question

They're digging in and holding leaders to account. I've been impressed enough with their work that I just threw a donation their way. Some of the "pro" outfits out there could take a few lessons from these young journalists. 2/2 www.cavalierdaily.com/page/donate

As a student journalist during my UVa days (at the now-defunct rival to the CD) one thing that gives me hope through this whole debacle of federal bullying and institutional kowtowing is that the student journalists at the Cavalier Daily are knocking it out of the park. 1/2

Let's talk for a sec about the fact that the right wing group on the UVA Board that orchestrated the ouster of President Ryan (due to his support for DEI) is called "The Jefferson Council." Invoking Jefferson to oppose diversity & inclusion is historically resonant. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/u...

It's a difficult time for UVA and those who care about our schools. I had an important discussion with UVA students, faculty and staff on Friday to talk about President Trump's attacks on our universities and will keep doing everything I can to stand up for Virginia’s schools.

this is exactly right. the goal of youngkin and his board of visitors is to rewind the clock back to when UVA was a school for unexceptional children of the state’s conservative elites. even expanding UVA to serve all of the state’s talented students, regardless of background, is too much.

I’m grateful to Charlottesville’s Delegate @katrinacallsen.com for embracing the urgency of now and prioritizing Board reform in the upcoming legislative session.

Virginia — take notice. Other states are gutting higher ed governance. Our next Governor can either do the same or usher in serious reforms to strengthen schools for the long haul.

The UVA Cavalier Daily (our student newspaper) gives me so much hope for the future of independent journalism. They are so fearless and thorough with their coverage. Here's their story about the faculty senate meeting about the BOV. www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...

We join with our VA AAUP Conference & UVa Faculty Senate in condemning the DOJ threats to withhold federal research funding in order to oust UVa President Jim Ryan for not bowing to political interference. We join with them in demanding an independent & public investigation into Ryan's forced exit.

I’m so impressed with my UVA faculty colleagues, especially our Faculty Senate, for so quickly and loudly articulating how Trump, Youngkin, and the Board of Visitors are trying to destroy UVA and its values of free and open inquiry.

I also encourage you to read this commentary by James Mingle that appeared in today's Daily Progress, (posted online yesterday, before the faculty senate vote) archive.is/2EtJj

Yesterday the UVa Faculty Senate passed two resolutions. One is a vote of no confidence in the board, which is based on past actions. The other is about the upcoming process of appointing an interim President. You can find the links to both in the posts by @cyborgapologist.bsky.social

Saying farewell to Maine today after a week of vacation/remote working. I love UVA but I’d love it even more if it were located in Maine! 😊

Thank you to my colleagues for standing up for academic freedom!! Watching a room of academics copy edit the resolution in real time was genuinely thrilling.

Also noteworthy that the members of the BOV who were at today's faculty meeting for ~15 min (via Zoom) said that they did not intend to take questions from the faculty senate (this was in response to a senate member asking a question). There was audible surprise in the room at this response. 5/n

This is huge. UVA Faculty Senate have voted No Confidence in the Board of Visitors for their silence in the Federal overreach into our governance. Follow Em's thread here for the blow-by-blow. The resolution should be published soon on the Faculty Senate website.

Grateful for the show of ethical force by the UVA Faculty Senate. This should be a lesson for all in academia. Stand together and Resist. 👊🏻

things sticking with me from the faculty senate meeting: 1) rector sheridan visibly furious at being asked *any* question, seems very clear she would not have shown up for that by choice 1a) this seems related to her *clearly* functioning as a rep on behalf of UVA prior to being appointed rector

The resolution of no confidence passed by the UVa Faculty Senate today (46 Yes, 6 No, 8 Abstain: www.linkedin.com/posts/facult...

The Faculty Senate has now adopted a resolution of No Confidence in the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia with a vote of 46-14.

Today is UVA President Jim Ryan’s last day. He is a prince of princes, a sage of sages, a mensch of mensches. Having never known my President at two schools before I joined UVA Law, I can say with confidence there is no leader like him. I’m grateful he will be back to the law school.

A statement by 400+ UVa faculty members:

The UVA Faculty Senate has voted to approve a resolution of No Confidence in the Board of Visitors

I'm no good with patterns. Can someone help me out here?