The University of Virginia Board of Visitors named Scott Beardsley as the university’s 10th president on Friday.
“I am deeply honored to be named the 10th president of the University of Virginia, an institution with a historic legacy shaped by visionaries and dedicated members of the University community,” Beardsley said in a UVAToday article.
Beardsley, the dean of the business school, will take over on Jan. 1 of next year. The move could spark controversy after the school’s former president stepped down this summer.
In June, James Ryan, the former university’s president, announced his resignation after he faced heavy pressure from conservative critics and the Trump administration for not heed federal orders to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusive policies.
His removal was pushed for by the Justice Department as it investigated the school, according to a person who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.
“To make a long story short, I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in this University,” he said. “But I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my job.”
After campaigning on a promise to end “wokeness” in education, Trump signed a January action ordering the elimination of DEI programs and “radical indoctrination” across the nation’s schools and universities.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin celebrated the action, declaring that “DEI is done at the University of Virginia.”
Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger pushed back against the Trump administration’s action against the school that caused him to step down. She asked UVA’s Board of Visitors to stop its search for a new president until her board appointees fill empty slots. She said on her first day, she will make appointments for open seats.
“In order to pull us back from this time where the university boards have become kind of a bit of a lightning rod and politicized,” she said.
In October, the university agreed to abide by White House guidance forbidding discrimination in admissions and hiring. The deal preserves the university’s academic freedom and doesn’t hurt its attempts to secure federal research funding.
If UVA complies, the Justice Department said it would officially end its investigations. If not, possible consequences include a fine or termination of federal funding.