CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors has named Scott Beardsley the next University President.
Beardsley has served as dean of UVA’s Darden School of Business since 2015. Before then, he worked as a senior partner at the international consulting firm McKinsey.
“I want you to know I stand before you because I love this University,” Beardsley said during the announcement of his appointment. “The best way forward is together. This is a moment to move beyond division to renew trust and to focus on what unites us.”
The announcement came at the very end of the Board of Visitors’ final meeting of 2025 on Friday afternoon, December 19. The Board currently consists of all Governor Glenn Youngkin appointees.
“The Board was unanimous in its vote,” read a UVA statement announcing Beardsley’s selection. “We are confident that Scott’s leadership, vision, and commitment to the UVA community uniquely position him to serve as president at this moment.”
The decision came against the wishes of a chorus of critics, including Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, state lawmakers, student leaders and faculty leaders. Since former UVA President Jim Ryan’s resignation in June under pressure by the Department of Justice, they have voiced dissatisfaction at what they see as a lack of transparency in his departure and the process of selecting the university’s next leader.
State Senator Creigh Deeds sent a lengthy list of questions to the Board regarding Ryan’s resignation, student and faculty leadership have passed votes of no confidence in the Board, and Governor-elect Spanberger has urged the Board to halt the process of choosing a university president until she has taken office and appointed new Board members.
Lieutenant-Governor Ghazala Hashmi quickly spoke out against the appointment in a statement sent to 29 News.
“The appropriate next step is to fully pause the presidential appointment process until the new administration is in place and the Board of Visitors is appropriately constituted,” Hashmi said. “At that point, the University should undertake an open, inclusive search that is grounded in shared governance and informed by broad campus and public input.
Delegate Katrina Callsen spoke to a demonstration outside of the Friday, December 19, Board of Visitors meeting where she said their actions did not represent a legitimate process.
“To continue to ignore us all must be called what it is: a failure of leadership and a breach of their duty to do what is best for UVA and for the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Callsen said.
In July, UVA announced the formation of a 28-member special committee to find candidates for university president, drawing a rebuke from student and faculty leaders who said they felt sidelined.
A UVA spokesperson last week defended the committee’s and the Board’s actions.
“This is a decision by the UVA Board of Visitors, and the Board has made it clear it is continuing with its robust and inclusive process for finding a new University President,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement.
Beardsley emphasized unity following the announcement, thanking interim President Paul Mahoney, Governor-elect Spanberger and Governor Youngkin.
When asked about the backlash, Beardsley said he ‘didn’t control’ the timing.
“I felt that the best thing to do would be to serve the university I’ve already been working at for the past eleven years to try to forward I felt my skills matched what the university needs,” Beardsley said “and I look forward to serving to the best of my ability all parts of UVA.”
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