Reinstate Teresa Sullivan as President of the University of Virginia

The Issue

Terry Sullivan, the first female president of the University of Virginia and only the eighth president in the 193-year history of the institution, was abruptly fired this past weekend by the Rector and Board of Visitors after only two years of service despite a plethora of positive reviews and support from students, faculty, staff, alumni, state and federal officials.

Dr. Sullivan is a highly respected educator of national stature. As reasons for her termination, a statement from the Rector and Board faults Sullivan’s administration for a culture of “incremental, marginal change” and claims the institution needs a leader more adaptable to “the realities of the external environment.” These arguments do not justify depriving the nation's first public university of a superior leader like Terry Sullivan. She must be reinstated immediately.

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Bob ElkinsPetition StarterBob is an director of business development at YP (formerly AT&T Interactive) where he structures, negotiates, and grows significant and complex strategic relationships. Bob received a Bachelors of Arts Cum Laude from the University of Virginia in 1979 and earned his MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University in 1983. At U.Va., he was president of the Gay Student Union in 1976, a member of Resident Staff for three years, and First Year Resident Staff Co-Chair in 1978-79. A lifetime member of the University of Virginia Alumni Association, Bob has been a director and past president of the Serpentine Society, the LGBT alumni network of U.Va. for the past decade and active with the U.Va. Club of Los Angeles for as long.
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The Issue

Terry Sullivan, the first female president of the University of Virginia and only the eighth president in the 193-year history of the institution, was abruptly fired this past weekend by the Rector and Board of Visitors after only two years of service despite a plethora of positive reviews and support from students, faculty, staff, alumni, state and federal officials.

Dr. Sullivan is a highly respected educator of national stature. As reasons for her termination, a statement from the Rector and Board faults Sullivan’s administration for a culture of “incremental, marginal change” and claims the institution needs a leader more adaptable to “the realities of the external environment.” These arguments do not justify depriving the nation's first public university of a superior leader like Terry Sullivan. She must be reinstated immediately.

avatar of the starter
Bob ElkinsPetition StarterBob is an director of business development at YP (formerly AT&T Interactive) where he structures, negotiates, and grows significant and complex strategic relationships. Bob received a Bachelors of Arts Cum Laude from the University of Virginia in 1979 and earned his MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University in 1983. At U.Va., he was president of the Gay Student Union in 1976, a member of Resident Staff for three years, and First Year Resident Staff Co-Chair in 1978-79. A lifetime member of the University of Virginia Alumni Association, Bob has been a director and past president of the Serpentine Society, the LGBT alumni network of U.Va. for the past decade and active with the U.Va. Club of Los Angeles for as long.
Media inquiries

The Decision Makers

Rector and the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia
Rector and the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia

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Petition created on June 12, 2012