I am submitting comments IN MY PERSONAL CAPACITY as a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University to ask you to VOTE FOR SB 494 and NOT conform it to HB 1385. SB 494 protects shared governance by ensuring faculty and staff a seat at the table on university boards. SB 494 protects universities from political interference by creating longer board terms and safeguarding academic freedom. These protections matter because they directly affect my working life by allowing my academic freedom to conduct global HIV policy research and by giving independence of our universities from political interference. This freedom motivated entirely why I went into academia and, in particular, why I came to VCU and why I have remained. Thank you for your service and for supporting Virginia's public universities. Sincerely, April D. Kimmel, PhD Associate Professor, Health Policy Virginia Commonwealth University School of Public Health

I am writing in my personal capacity as a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University to ask you to VOTE FOR SB 494 and NOT conform it to HB 1385. SB 494 protects shared governance by ensuring faculty and staff a seat at the table on university boards. We have knowledge and context of higher education that most boards lack. SB 494 protects universities from political interference by creating longer board terms and safeguarding academic freedom. This means that boards do not become a political tool for governors and contribute to long term stability not to the whims of a governor. Thank you for your service and for supporting Virginia's public universities.

I am writing in my personal capacity as a faculty member at James Madison University to ask you to VOTE FOR SB 494 and NOT conform it to HB 1385. SB 494 protects shared governance by ensuring faculty and staff a seat at the table on university boards. SB 494 protects universities from political interference by creating longer board terms and safeguarding academic freedom. These protections matter because faculty deserve to have their voices heard and must be able to teach their courses without interference from government. Thank you for your service and for supporting Virginia's public universities.

I am writing in my personal capacity as a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University to respectfully ask you to VOTE FOR SB 494 and NOT conform it to HB 1385. In addition to my faculty role, I served for the past 6 years as President of the Faculty Senate of Virginia (FSVA), the non-partisan organization representing the faculty senates of Virginia’s fifteen public four-year institutions and the Virginia Community College System. In that capacity, I witnessed firsthand how Board of Visitors appointments became increasingly politicized. After the election of Glenn Youngkin, appointments to the Boards of Visitors (BOVs) raised serious concerns across our institutions. BOV members were selected with the involvement of the Virginia Commission on Higher Education Board Appointments (VCHEBA), originally established under Mark Warner to ensure that board members were chosen based on merit, experience, and sound judgment rather than political ideology. However, Governor Youngkin appointed Edwin Feulner, co-founder of The Heritage Foundation, to chair VCHEBA. Under Mr. Feulner's leadership, our institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth experienced what many perceived as a highly politicized selection process for BOV members. As FSVA President, I attended several Commission meetings to read statements expressing concern that poorly vetted or ideologically driven appointments could undermine shared governance, academic freedom, and the effective functioning of our governing boards. In today’s hyper-politicized climate, it is critical that we safeguard institutional independence to protect our students, faculty, and the public trust. SB 494 directly addresses these concerns. The bill aims to protect shared governance by ensuring faculty and staff have a seat at the table on university boards. It also protects universities from political interference by creating longer board terms and reinforcing safeguards for academic freedom. These protections matter deeply to me as an educator and former statewide faculty leader because I have seen how quickly political polarization can disrupt institutional stability and erode confidence in governance. Thank you for your service and for supporting Virginia’s public universities.

My name is Matthew Close and I am a Professor of Biology, the current Faculty Senate President and the Faculty Representative to the Board of Visitors at Radford University. I am writing in my personal capacity as a faculty member of 13 years in the Commonwealth of Virginia to ask you to vote for SB 494 as written and not conform it to HB 1385. SB 494 protects shared governance by ensuring faculty and staff a seat at the table on university boards. This is important because it ensures that Boards are well-informed in decision making and are operating with transparency. For brevity, I am unable to provide the numerous examples that illustrate the degree of value that having two-way conversations with appointed Board Members has added at my institution. I do, however, simply want to state here that it is something that I believe all faculty AND staff of institutions of higher education should have. Having faculty, staff and students on the Board of Visitors ensures Boards are making well-informed decisions while embodying the right of free expression and ensuring civil discourse is practiced among all members of shared governance bodies. SB 494 also protects universities from political interference by creating longer board terms and safeguarding academic freedom. Simply put, longer board terms ensure that the people working together to ensure that the institution operates for the betterment of its students, its employees and the Commonwealth will continue to do so despite nature of the environment around them. Speaking as an individual who worked with the Board of Visitors during a tumultuous pandemic and in the shadow of an enrollment cliff, I express my hope that you will support the provisions in SB 494 which sure up shared governance at institutions of higher education and strengthen Boards and allow them to operate amidst ever-changing landscapes. Thank you for your service and for supporting Virginia's public universities.

I am writing in my personal capacity as a faculty member at VCU who studies effective governance and who leads our Faculty Senate. Based on my own experience and scholarship, I urge you to VOTE FOR SB 494 rather than conforming it to HB 1385. SB494 includes important provisions that HB1385 does not. In particular, it ensures faculty and staff a seat at the table on university boards and protects universities from political interference by creating longer board terms. It also codifies shared governance duties into state law. Thank you for your work on higher education governance reform and your support for the important provisions of SB494.

As a faculty member at a state university, I hope that you consider passing SB494 as is in order to protect academic freedom and protect academia and our scientific discovery efforts from political interference and corruption. The shared governance provision in the bill is the only fair and logical way for faculty and staff to have a voice on boards of visitors. The protection of universities from political interference is only common sense to preserve the advanced level education we have had in the United States. It is this freedom that allows our country to be at the forefront of scientific discovery, entrepreneurial activities, and technological advancements.