2008 Woodie Awards
Reveley becomes College's president for next three years
Nick Fitzgerald | Editor in Chief (VIO)
Last Updated:9/16/08 Section: News
Interim President W. Taylor Reveley III was officially appointed today by the Board of Visitors as the College's president for the next three years. The appointment comes on the heels of speculation this past week over Mr. Reveley's future at the College.
Early this afternoon, BOV Rector Michael Powell e-mailed the campus community with the news. "The College has been fortunate to have a strong leader in place during this very difficult transition period," he said, referring to former President Gene Nichol's abrupt resignation this past February which flung the campus into a chaotic state.
Mr. Reveley was originally appointed for a strictly interim term after Mr. Nichol's resignation, and the board indicated that the search for a new, long-term president would begin thereafter. Mr. Powell explained the board's current thinking on this issue in his e-mail. "Our community is still healing from the events of last spring and the critical challenges presently facing the college need immediate attention, strongly suggesting a search would not be a constructive or productive endeavor -- a view we found was widely held."
"Taylor stepped into a complicated situation and handled it with grace. With his deep knowledge of and experience with the community, he tirelessly reached out to faculty, students, staff, alumni, public officials, and major donors to assure them that he would advance the important priorities of the school. And, in a very short period, he has indeed advanced those priorities. Taylor zeroed in immediately on the need to restructure our financial model, given the unreliability of state funds. He navigated the College through substantial budget cuts, making difficult decisions but keeping our priorities at the forefront."
Two major themes of Mr. Reveley's presidency to date have been financial solvency and green sustainability, two issues which he believe to be at the core of the College's longevity. "My hope and my expectation is that William and Mary will quickly become a model for other schools, showing that real sustainability progress can be made even by colleges and universities such as William and Mary that are not awash in dollars to throw at the effort. I believe we're up to the challenge, and now is a good time -- at the threshold of the new year -- to take the challenge seriously, while we're all fresh for the race," he said in a speech at convocation.
Mr. Reveley was originally vetted and ranked second back in 2005, when the board ultimately decided to appoint Mr. Nichol as the College's president.
Early this afternoon, BOV Rector Michael Powell e-mailed the campus community with the news. "The College has been fortunate to have a strong leader in place during this very difficult transition period," he said, referring to former President Gene Nichol's abrupt resignation this past February which flung the campus into a chaotic state.
Mr. Reveley was originally appointed for a strictly interim term after Mr. Nichol's resignation, and the board indicated that the search for a new, long-term president would begin thereafter. Mr. Powell explained the board's current thinking on this issue in his e-mail. "Our community is still healing from the events of last spring and the critical challenges presently facing the college need immediate attention, strongly suggesting a search would not be a constructive or productive endeavor -- a view we found was widely held."
"Taylor stepped into a complicated situation and handled it with grace. With his deep knowledge of and experience with the community, he tirelessly reached out to faculty, students, staff, alumni, public officials, and major donors to assure them that he would advance the important priorities of the school. And, in a very short period, he has indeed advanced those priorities. Taylor zeroed in immediately on the need to restructure our financial model, given the unreliability of state funds. He navigated the College through substantial budget cuts, making difficult decisions but keeping our priorities at the forefront."
Two major themes of Mr. Reveley's presidency to date have been financial solvency and green sustainability, two issues which he believe to be at the core of the College's longevity. "My hope and my expectation is that William and Mary will quickly become a model for other schools, showing that real sustainability progress can be made even by colleges and universities such as William and Mary that are not awash in dollars to throw at the effort. I believe we're up to the challenge, and now is a good time -- at the threshold of the new year -- to take the challenge seriously, while we're all fresh for the race," he said in a speech at convocation.
Mr. Reveley was originally vetted and ranked second back in 2005, when the board ultimately decided to appoint Mr. Nichol as the College's president.
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Francis
posted 9/05/08 @ 1:23 PM EST
Why does this website have NO photos? Has the Informer NEVER taken a photo of the new president?
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