I am strongly in support of workers and students having a voting member on their university Boards of Visitors. Boards regularly make decisions that impact affordability and the educational experience for students. For example, at Virginia Tech, where I work, recent BoV decisions have ended projects to build more housing for students (a primary concern for Blacksburg) and raised fees. It's only right that they should have a say in how the university runs.

My name is Walt Heinecke, I am associate professor of education and have been teaching at a Virginia public for 30 years in research, statistics and evaluation. I have served on the faculty senate. We at the American Association of University Professors at UVA urge you to support HB 780, HB 1069 and HB1473 on Monday. HB 780 which serves as a hub for the other bills is the most exemplary bill I have seen in higher education in Virginia. It fixes the problem we encountered at UVA and other publics by addressing university control over legal counsel, it allows for staggering terms for BOV members prohibiting the one party domination of BOVs., It clarifies appointment processes that maintain the oversight of the GA, It has much needed language on the mandatory appointment of faculty, staff and student voting members on BOVs a much needed improvement for authentic shared Governance. We suggest you roll Del. Laufer's bill into this bill as it has a more democratic process of faculty, staff & student member selection to maintain the independence of constituent voice. Allowing the BOVs to pick from multiple names is a nominations not an election. The removal of professors section in HB 780 comports with AAUP national best practices essential for shared governance and exemplary not found in any other proposed bill. Unlike any other bill it includes a requirement for BOVs to define and implement shared governance that will improve the quality of decision making at our universities, an AAUP national standard. The bill, like HB 1473, has language to protect free speech and first amendment rights of faculty, staff and students. that have proven to be essential in the current era. You might think about rolling Del. Schmidt's 1473 bill into this bill strengthening this aspect of HB 780. These three bills 780, 1069, 1473 considered as a whole are exactly what is needed to bring balance and improve our institutions of higher education. If you want to strengthen and improve our institutions, I urge you to support all three bills. I speak from being on the front lines of the crisis experienced at UVA last year and teaching for 30 years. The other bills concerning BOV reform are not as comprehensive as 780 and associated bills. You have an opportunity here to really make dramatic improvements in our system of higher education. Please support HB 780, HB 1069 and HB 1473 on Monday and advance them. The bills will improve shared governance without which there can be no academic freedom and we need academic freedom now more than ever as our universities are under siege. Thank you.

The rushed and illegitimate presidential search at UVA this past year highlights the necessity of shared governance with the faculty. This bill mandates faculty, staff voting representatives on the Board of Visitors to give them a voice in university governance. It also ensures that those faculty and staff representatives are chosen by their peers rather than cherry-picked by the BOV. This is imperative for a fair representation at our institutions of higher education. Please vote yes for this bill!