After five difficult years, observers were not sure if Teresa Sullivan would continue as president of the University of Virginia, but the first woman to hold that job received a near-unanimous vote of support this week.
From the outset, 65-year-old Teresa Sullivan had said she did not want to serve another five-year term.
"When I came to the university, I made a promise to the board that I would stay 7-10 years depending on good health. I’m happy to say my health is still good, and I think I still have plenty of stamina for the job, but I can’t predict that will last for another five years."
And so the board of visitors voted to give Sullivan a three-year contract, although a successor could be appointed as early as November of 2017. Board president George Keith Martin said she had shown courage, grace and a dedication to the university.
“And she also has attracted very, very talented leadership team, and we hear all the time that people want to come here, because they want to work with her.”
Noting half of university’s faculty will retire in the next 7-10 years, Sullivan said she looked forward to overseeing the choice of a new generation to lead and teach. She was philosophical about the troubles that have plagued UVA since she arrived - the violent deaths of two young women, an attack by Rolling Stone Magazine and her own early struggles with the Board of Visitors.
“The reason some of these things happened at UVA was because UVA is a school that matters. If we weren’t a school that mattered, people wouldn’t want to write those articles about us, so that comes with the territory.”
The extension comes with a $40,000 raise, pushing Sullivan’s annual salary to $714,000. The only member of the board who did not vote in her favor was Helen Dragas, who led an unsuccessful attempt to replace Sullivan three years ago.
