"When University of Virginia president Jim Ryan was forced out of his job last month, the school’s governing board was seemingly left out of the process.

The board of visitors never cast a vote on Ryan’s performance or met immediately before his resignation, raising questions about whether the body held Ryan accountable as the law requires.

On Tuesday, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, or SCHEV, issued a statement stressing the importance of each school’s board of visitors’ responsibility to shape policy.

The boards 'play a critical role' ensuring their college follows the law, the statement said.

'SCHEV takes seriously its statutory responsibility to train BOV members to promote strong governance,' it said, and to ensure schools follow the law and make responsible decisions spending taxpayer dollars.

Each year, the governor appoints members to the various boards, who set major policy, including hiring and firing presidents and approving tuition. A member generally serves one four-year term that can be renewed once. Now that Gov. Glenn Youngkin is in his fourth year of office, he has appointed or reappointed essentially every college board member in the state.

SCHEV, a state agency that makes policy recommendations and administers educational programs, holds a board training every year. But one member of the SCHEV board said board members could do a better job of involving themselves in university matters.

John Jumper, a retired general in the United States Air Force who is chair of the council, said boards need to familiarize themselves with the issues affecting their campus, including name, image and likeness, how colleges derive different forms of revenue and the expectation that enrollment will generally decline in the future.

“I’m not convinced all the boards have a true picture of what’s ahead,” Jumper said.

In March, UVa’s board voted unanimously to terminate the school’s DEI office after federal and state officials directed it to do so. But federal leaders accused Ryan of moving DEI jobs without actually terminating them. It’s unclear what the administration or the board did at the time.

After Ryan announced his exit, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., criticized the local leaders who let the federal government intervene. Kaine said the board might not have supported Ryan, but it should have been its issue to address, not the federal government’s.

Two weeks after Ryan announced his resignation, the federal Department of Education announced it was investigating George Mason University in Fairfax County for allegations of racial discrimination and antisemitism.

'More and more, one viewpoint is privileged over dissenting viewpoints on campus,' said Steven Taylor, a member of the SCHEV board, noting the tension on college campuses since the war in Gaza began.

Numerous pro-Palestine demonstrations have occurred at Virginia colleges. “We must do a better job protecting students’ free speech rights,'" reports the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Photo: University of Virginia President Jim Ryan speaks during a Board of Visitors meeting in the Rotunda on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023.