In a sharply worded letter, Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Thursday night rebuked Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger for calling on the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors to pause the selection of its new president.

Youngkin asserted that Spanberger’s letter to the leaders of UVa’s board was an ill-informed “breach of protocol” and he underscored that Virginia has one governor at a time.

“I am advised that this was likely the first time in the history of our Commonwealth that a Governor-elect attempted to interfere with the governance of a university and the fiduciary duties of individual board members,” Youngkin wrote.

“Surprisingly, you have reached conclusions before you or your transition team have taken the time to learn all the facts around the resignation of former UVA President Jim Ryan and the settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).”

“Your letter was riddled with hyperbole and factual errors and impugns both the Board of Visitors and the presidential search underway.”

Spanberger, who will be inaugurated Jan. 17 as Virginia’s 75th governor, on Wednesday urged leaders of the school’s board of visitors to hold off on choosing a new president until the General Assembly confirms her nominees to the board.

“As both a proud alumna and the Governor-elect of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I am deeply concerned by recent developments at the University of Virginia and how these challenges may impact the legitimacy of the current search for the University’s next president,” Spanberger said in a letter Wednesday to Rector Rachel W. Sheridan and Vice Rector Porter N. Wilkinson.

“In the wake of the departure of President Jim Ryan as a result of federal overreach – unchallenged by the Board – the University now faces the serious task of selecting its tenth president,” Spanberger wrote, adding that the board must make the selection through a “legitimate” and “transparent” process.

A 28-member presidential search committee at UVa announced last week that it is beginning the process of narrowing the field of 60 candidates to a handful, with in-person interviews scheduled for later this month.

Spanberger wrote that five of the 17 members who sit on UVa’s Board of Visitors still have not been sworn in, making the board’s legitimacy, and the legitimacy of any decisions it makes, questionable.

Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s Democratic Party nominee for governor, sits on stage during a rally at Old Dominion University’s Chartway Arena in Norfolk on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 . (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot)

In his response, which he also sent to Sheridan, Wilkinson and other members of the UVa board, Youngkin said the presidential search process should continue.

“My guidance to the UVA Board is to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities, take advantage of the most inclusive and successful presidential search process in UVA’s history and not waste the great pool of candidates by unnecessarily delaying the search and losing them to other schools.”

Ryan resigned under pressure in July as the Trump administration asserted he was too slow in eradicating DEI from the school’s campus. Youngkin asserted that neither the Justice Department, nor the leaders of the current UVa board forced Ryan to resign.

Youngkin said Ryan’s resignation “took place under the leadership of Rector Robert Hardie,” a longtime Democratic appointee to the UVa board who is now co-chair of Spanberger’s inaugural committee.

Former UVA president details Justice Department pressure that led to ouster

Youngkin concluded his letter by, essentially, telling Spanberger to butt out.

“As was wisely communicated to me by my predecessors, there is just one Governor of Virginia at any time,” Youngkin wrote. “This ensures that the Commonwealth’s operations continue unimpeded.

“Communicating with state agencies or Boards of Visitors is confusing, and is inconsistent with proven, professional protocols. And certainly, efforts to bully or micromanage are inappropriate.

“Your Administration will start on January 17, 2026.”

https://www.dailypress.com/2025/11/14/youngkin-spanberger-uva/