Thursday morning, UVa Interim President Carl Zeithaml sat down with the Senate Faculty to discuss the faculty’s concern with the Board, their expectations and the future of UVa. The closed meeting occurred off-grounds and lasted just over an hour. Both parties commented it was a “productive discussion.” Faculty Senate Chief George Cohen remains hopeful they can accomplish their objectives saying he was inspired by the “continuing commitment” for the cause.

After the meeting, the Executive Council of the Faculty Senate released a statement saying, “The lines of communication remain open” with Zeithaml, however their demands remain. The letter states,

“At this time, we continue to press for the requests we have previously stated, specifically:
1. The reinstatement of President Sullivan
2. The resignation of Rector Dragas
3. Faculty representation as voting members on the Board of Visitors.”

The Faculty Senate also made their expectations clear to Governor McDonnell in a letter saying, “The forced resignation of Teresa Sullivan represents the most serious threat to the academic integrity, intellectual reputation, and national standing of the University in modern history.” The letter then lists their goals above and culminates in, “We call upon the Board of Visitors, our fellow alumni, and the people of the Commonwealth to restore the values that define our great University.”

Governor McDonnell is under increasing pressure as Rector Helen Dragas and three other Board members are up for reappointment July 1 of this year. While the Governor’s office has stated that Dragas will not be reappointed, many are pressuring McDonnell to call for an immediate investigation of the entire Board of Visitors and to force Dragas to step down.