University of Virginia Library

4 Administrators Promoted To Vice-President Post

Shannon's Chief Deputies
Continue 'Basic Functions'

By Donn Kessler
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

In the first major administrative
change since 1967, Edgar F. Shannon,
President of the University, announced
yesterday the promotion of four principal
administrative officers to the rank of vice
president, an office that never previously
existed at the University.

Named to the positions, effective
immediately, are:

Frank L. Hereford Jr., provost of the
University who will now be vice president
and provost.

Vincent Shea, comptroller, who will
serve as Vice President for Business and
Finance.

Thomas H. Hunter, chancellor for
medical affairs, will now be Vice
President for Medical Affairs.

D. Alan Williams, dean of Student
Affairs, will be the Vice President for
Student Affairs.

No Salary Increase

There will be no salary increase in any of
these promotions.

In making the appointments, President
Shannon stated that he "wished to emphasize
that all the basic functions of his principal
deputies will continue, but as vice presidents
they will have primary administrative
responsibility and authority over the major
divisions of the University that they
administer."

When asked to explain the meaning of
"primary administrative responsibility and
authority," President Shannon stated that the
vice presidents would be able to deal with
matters in the area of their authority unless
they wished to refer the decision to President
Shannon.

President Shannon emphasized, as did other
spokesmen for the administration, that the
promotions were not a basic change in the
power or structure of the University administration.
President Shannon indicated, however,
that it was basically a name change to help
clarify the positions of each of these men.

President Shannon indicated that the title of
vice president would help to make their
function clearer than before and would make
their relations clearer to other people in the
University community who work with them.

The only official change in authority is with
Mr. Williams as Vice President for Student
Affairs. Along with his responsibilities in the
areas relating to student life in Charlottesville,
Mr. Williams will also serve as the President's

Deputy for Athletics.

In this position, Mr. Williams will receive
direct reports on athletics from the Director of
Athletics for President Shannon.

In the structural plan of the University
administration, the offices of these four men
were the top administrative offices under the
President and they were four out of the five
officials to report directly to the President.

'Administration Division'

Certain members of the University community,
however, in light of the promotions,
mentioned that they felt it might make each
vice president in charge of a major administrative
division of the University. This they stated,
in certain instances would bring the power of
decisions down from the President to the vice
presidents.

The promotions' effect upon the University
was viewed by one student leader as "being
very beneficial to the University." He felt that
the appointments of vice presidents would help
to free President Shannon from certain decision
making and would give the vice presidents more
authority.

In this way, stated the observer, "the
President would have more time to think about
improvements in the University and would also
be able to concentrate more in certain other of
his duties."

Frank L. Hereford

This same observer felt that the promotions
might also be beneficial to the University in
that they "would increase the efficiency of the
administration."

In this way, he continued, the students
could work with the vice presidents who could
make certain decisions instead of working with
a person who would have to refer all or most of
the decisions to the President.

In the field of Student Council, this person
noted, more decisions would be made on a level
below the President, and would therefore help
to increase the efficiency of cooperation
between Council and the administration.

Thomas H. Hunter

In his relations with the Student Council
and the student body, the President noted that
the titles of vice president would help to
emphasize their position of authority and
therefore might help students and other people
in the University realize that much work could
be done more quickly if it was presented to the
vice presidents rather than directly to the
President.

'Eager To See'

President Shannon noted, however, that he
was not secluding himself from the student
body "I am still very eager," said the President,
"to see students."

Vincent Shea

The President's power of appointment is
granted to him in the Manual of the Board of
Visitors, as amended in December 1969. The
manual reads that "As the chief executive and
academic officer of the University, ..The
President shall have the power... to establish
and modify as he deems necessary the internal
administrative structure of the University and
shall appoint or provide for the appointment of
all administrative officers except for the
chancellors of Mary Washington, George Mason,
and Clinch Valley Colleges..."

The last administrative change in the
University structure was the appointment of

William A. Hobbs as Director of Development
and Public Affairs in July 1967. Mr. Hobbs was
one of the major administrative officers
reporting directly to the President along with
the Comptroller, the Provost, the Dean of
Student Affairs, and the Chancellor for Medical
Affairs.

With the retirement of Mr. Hobbs to join a
private firm in New York and the promotion of
the four other officials to vice president, each
of the five posts have undergone some type of
change.

Mr. Hobbs' post will be further changed
as it will be divided into two offices.