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APPENDIX A

A REPORT FROM THE
UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE COMMITTEE
TO THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF
THE BOARD OF VISITORS
ON THE NOMINATION OF A PRESIDENT
May 4, 1973

Pursuant to the request of the Rector of the University, this initial report deals with two matters: (1) the Office of the President of the University of Virginia, and (2) the qualities which the next President should possess and the criteria by which he should be selected.

The committee has engaged in extensive conversations with more than half a dozen key administrators within the University, and it has studied the report submitted to the Board in July, 1958, by our predecessor committee of the University Senate. Suggestions have been invited and received from the General Faculty. Just as the committee of fifteen years ago could note the high order of statesmanship of President Darden's administration so can this committee note with pride the University's academic advancements during the administration of President Shannon. Observing that these two presidents were unlike in background and personality and yet both successfully filled the office, the committee concludes that their successor need not resemble either so long as he embodies the essential qualities outlined below.

While the fundamental qualities needed in the University President remain essentially what they were seen to be in 1958, developments in the intervening years and the circumstances likely to confront the University in the near future require some alterations in priorities as to certain characteristics. In the main this is a matter of a shift of emphasis. This report attempts to identify in general terms the duties which belong to the office of the President of the University of Virginia and, stemming from these, the qualifications to which special attention should be given in seeking a new President.

I. THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

The President's general responsibilities can be divided into two groups.

A. The President must work to preserve and enhance the distinctive character of the University of Virginia. In doing so he should promote the following traditional values (listed in no set order of priority):

--academic quality; primacy of the intellectual enterprise.

--sense of integrity and mutual trust embodied in the Honor System.

--good learning climate fostered by easy, personal relationships among students and faculty; undergraduate instruction participated in by faculty of all ranks.

--widespread student participation in athletics for the benefits of sportsmanship and physical development.

--participatory decision-making, involving faculty and students to a significant degree in important policy decisions.

--a national posture with a substantial out-of-state enrollment.

--a physical environment aesthetically pleasing and congenial to the development of the mind and to the life of an academic community.

Pressures are at work which threaten these distinctive qualities of University life. The new President must have the ability to detect those threats and the persuasiveness and strength of character to resist them successfully. One who has been a student or a faculty member in the University is more likely to understand these qualities--and be committed to them--than one who has had no connection with the institution. The committee would not make a connection with the University an essential requirement. In any case only very thorough interviewing will be capable of revealing a candidate's commitment to the traditional values listed above and his qualifications for enhancing them.

B. At the same time, the President must meet new circumstances with innovative skill. These circumstances include:

--coeducation.

--growing numbers of black students.

--tightening of governmental funding, state and federal, and the increased use of formula funding by the state.

--slowing of the growth rate to the point of steady size.

--pressures for increases in in-state enrollment.

--pressures for winning athletic teams at the expense of academic quality and traditional University values.

--more stringent standards for faculty promotions and tenure which may in turn give rise to movements for new forms of decision-making or for collective bargaining.

--demand for new forms of measurement of faculty productivity and accountability.

--insistence by taxpayers for cost effectiveness in public higher education.

--the creation, growth, and development of other state institutions of higher learning.

--the demand for non-resident degrees and other new forms of continuing education.

--rising demands for services to community and state.

--physical dispersion of components of the University away from the central grounds.

These conditions, singly and in combination, will call for innovative responses if they are to be dealt with in a way that maintains the primary intellectual mission of the University while also preserving its distinctive character and sense of community. Thus the person selected should be one who has demonstrated creative thought and a willingness to innovate, along with evidence of an understanding of and attachment to our traditional University values. He must be able to exert a progressive leadership which is also appropriate, in substance and in tone, to the University of Virginia. While he must meet new conditions imaginatively, he must effectively guide a consolidation and assimilation of the growth of the past decade.[1]

II. QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

The committee here sets forth, in three parts, the qualities, talents, and attitudes (in addition to those mentioned above in connection with the duties of the Presidency) which should be possessed by the person selected to be President.

A. Administrative Ability and Academic Experience

These two qualifications are listed together in order to emphasize their equal importance. The President must be a capable administrator, but he must also be highly sensitive to academic values and familiar with academic procedures.

1. Administrative Ability

The University of Virginia is a large and complex organization, and the President is the chief administrative officer. It is his responsibility to see that this organization runs smoothly and efficiently. He must understand the processes of academic administration and decision-making and provide such leadership that these processes are carried out successfully. He must have the ability to choose competent associates, be willing to delegate authority to them, and stand ready to accept responsibility for their decisions. His approach to administration should not be bureaucratic or authoritarian, but rather he should be able to achieve results in the context of the University's participatory decision-making custom in a manner that will not alienate his various constituents: the faculty, students, alumni, and citizens of Virginia. While actual administrative experience in an institution of higher education is useful, such is not essential so long as there is evidence of the requisite administrative talent.

2. Academic Experience

It would be difficult, if not impossible, for a person who was not familiar with academic institutions to administer such an institution successfully. Furthermore, the President must understand the faculty point of view and, as the senior faculty member, have the full respect and confidence of his faculty and students. It is unlikely that one who has not had experience on an academic faculty will satisfy this requirement. He must have acceptable credentials in his area of intellectual endeavor, and he must have a strong commitment to high quality education. While it is not necessary that he be an internationally recognized scholar of the very highest order, he should have undergone the discipline of engaging in some significant intellectual effort. Apart from intellectual accomplishments, a recognition of intellectual standing would be helpful in assuring faculty that he has an understanding of and a commitment to the values of higher education.

The committee believes that the selection of a new President should not be approached as a choice between an administrator or an academician. The President should be both.

B. Representing the University

The President is the official spokesman for the University and represents the University before the public. He must be an articulate and persuasive spokesman.

At the present time there seems to be fairly widespread disenchantment with higher education and its goals. Thus it is crucial to have a president who can build our image in the public eye and amongst those parties concerned with providing funds for the University. In presenting the case for the University, the President must be politically astute and have a good sense of timing. He must win both respect and support for his ideas and the goals of the University. The President must have the flexibility and skill to interact with many different groups. It is especially important that he be able to convince legislators, state officials, alumni, and other private citizens of the desirability of the goals of the University. He must also have an enthusiasm for pursuing private financial support and an ability to obtain it, as private funding will be crucial to maintaining the margin of academic excellence. His skill in representing the University will be essential in preserving the leading role of this institution within the state system of higher education.

C. Essential Personal Attributes

While certain qualities of character and personality are so essential for the job that they can be assumed, the committee nevertheless think they are worth listing: integrity, good physical and mental health, energy, enthusiasm, unqualified dedication, a sense of humor. While arguments are made concerning an appropriate age for the President, his marital status, and geographical origin, the committee has not taken a position on those points. The individual must be even-tempered and able to function well amidst constant interruptions and multiple pressures. Above all, the President, in character, personality, and style, must project the proper image of the University of Virginia. Respectfully submitted,

The University Faculty Senate Committee on the Nomination of a President

William W. Abbot Department of History College of Arts & Sciences

Richard M. Brandt School of Education

Barbara Brodie School of Nursing

O. Whitfield Broome, Jr. School of Commerce

Judah M. Eisenberg Department of Physics College of Arts & Sciences

J. Shelton Horsley, III School of Medicine

William Rotch Graduate School of Business Administration

William Zuk School of Architecture

Daniel J. Meador School of Law Chairman

Avery Catlin School of Engineering & Applied Science Vice-Chairman

Robert Kellogg Department of English College of Arts & Sciences Secretary

Appendix A
The Overloaded Condition of the Presidency

The position of President is overloaded. The President has too many matters to deal with, too many decisions to make, too many public occasions to attend, too many ceremonial functions to perform. He has insufficient time for reflective thought, too little opportunity for planning. There is also evidence that communications within the University suffer because of this condition. There is need for improved coordination of fiscal and academic decisions before they reach the highest administrative levels.

While any relief which can be given the job will still leave it an unusually demanding position, some amelioration of the overload should be attempted. Two suggestions have been advanced:

1. Create a new administrative position directly under the President, e.g. an Executive Vice-President.

2. Provide relief from ceremonial duties by creating a new position, perhaps known as Chancellor, with the responsibilities of attending public occasions, performing ceremonial duties, and delivering speeches as the University's representative.

The creation of a new chief administrator under the President is favored by some but is opposed by others. Proliferation of administrators is disturbing to many faculty members; it further isolates the President from the faculty, and it tends to build a schism between faculty and administration which happily has been avoided here.

The creation of a ceremonial representative is an interesting innovation not yet tried by American universities, though this division of function is familiar in Britain. Such an office would require a distinguished figure of impressive credentials; he might be a retired faculty member or an eminent alumnus. Residence in Charlottesville seems necessary. This person would have no administrative authority; he would function at the President's direction. His substantive pronouncements would be written by or cleared with the office of the President.

The extent to which the problems stemming from overload are tied up with the personality and style of the one who is President is not clear. For that reason it seems wise not to decide what ameliorating steps should be taken until the new President has been in office at least a short while.

Appendix B
The President's Term

A presidential appointment for a stated term (5 to 7 years) subject to renewal, is an idea favored by a number of faculty members and administrators. The key administrative appointments within the University below the President are now made for five-year renewable terms. There is much to be said for putting the Presidency on that basis. Periodic assessment and renewal of appointment would give a renewed confidence and sense of purpose to the President, while the periodic suession of incumbts would make the change of Presidents, for whatever reason it came about, less traumatic for the University. Without taking a firm position, we bring this idea to the Board for its consideration.