Dive Brief:
- The University of Virginia’s embattled president, Teresa Sullivan, secured a two-year contract extension, ensuring she will lead the university through her retirement.
- The Washington Post reports her new contract runs through July 2018 and includes the possibility of her exit as early as fall 2017 if a successor is chosen by then, with the additional possibility of another extension through May 2019.
- Board members voted to give Sullivan a $15,000 raise this year and a $25,000 raise next year, adding to her base salary of $494,000, according to the article.
Dive Insight:
Governing board members tried to oust Sullivan in 2012, but overwhelming public support kept the president in place. She has led through a number of crises since then, including the disappearance and murder of a student, the publication of a now-discredited Rolling Stone article that profiled the campus’ rape culture, and the violent arrest of a black student by white officers. Despite these challenges, Sullivan, 65, has said she wants to stay on as UVA’s president until her retirement, which it now appears she will be able to do.