Spanberger urges UVA board to delay search | JQJO

Virginia governor elect Abigail Spanberger asked the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors to pause its presidential search, arguing in a letter that the ouster of James E. Ryan reflected federal overreach and eroded public trust. The Democrat, a UVA alumna, wants the board to wait until she takes office next month and fills five vacant seats, which require legislative confirmation. Her move follows Justice Department scrutiny and conservative attacks on campus diversity efforts, even as the board scheduled candidate interviews this month and an interim leader, Paul G. Mahoney, a former law school dean, oversees the school.