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It’s been a long winter. I suspect I’m not the only one on this [Senate meeting] Zoom call who is ready for spring break to start at the end of next week.

I think I should start by just saying thank you to everybody for all the work getting the University to this point of the semester, including the work in this Senate meeting. I’m very grateful. I realize it’s on top of many other obligations to our students and our research and our service. I say that because I know that March 1 is Sunday, and I do not expect it realistic that all of our units are going to pick their senators by March 1 and have elections.

I do want to report on the chancellor’s search and remind you I’m recused and have recused from that process. I know the search committee has been very active recently. I thank the Senators who serve on that committee. My understanding is that we can expect an announcement of the new chancellor next month. I do want to reiterate that I expect the new chancellor to take office no later than the end of June.

I know for all of us, there’s a lot of planes to land between now and the end of June, including getting 6,000 students successfully graduated. I just want to assure you that I’m committed to doing everything in my power in the next couple months to get those things done and to set up the University and the new chancellor for success in the years ahead.

We also have a search now for a new athletics director. Earlier this month Athletics Director John Wildhack announced his retirement effective July 1. John has been an outstanding partner through a sea of change in intercollegiate athletics. I point out that he’s been a particularly excellent leader in focusing on the academic achievement of our student athletes—which has never been better—and the cooperation between athletics and the academic units, which I think has never been better. He has also had to help transform our athletics facilities and lead us through a myriad of changes in intercollegiate athletics in the country, including countless challenges facing the ACC, in which he’s been a leader. I am very grateful to him.

The search committee has been appointed. I am recused from that as well because of my new position that I will be assuming in July. They’ve hired a search consultant. I know that process has to go quickly, given the market for athletic directors, but also has to be coordinated with the chancellor search, so the new chancellor is involved.

I also, by the way, expect that there will be a search for a new dean of Hendricks Chapel announced shortly, with the goal there being to have a new dean for Hendricks Chapel in place at the start of the academic year in fall 2026.

I guess the other thing to say is just that I’m aware and Senator Van Gulick mentioned the vote of the arts and sciences faculty around portfolio review and program closure. I’m aware of that. I do believe deeply that, as part of shared governance, we need to listen to each other as issues arise, including the issues that we talked about today. I also believe it’s not also the case that no program can be closed if the faculty in that program vote against it or the faculty in some unit vote against it, because as a practical matter, that would be quite a problem for the University as a whole and historically hasn’t been how it’s worked.

I think we have to recognize that we have a very thorough portfolio review process. We have a lot of confidence in the Academic Affairs team that’s been working on that, and the many faculty who have been working on it. I do believe the best approach is to engage in good faith on the merits of the program closure issues and portfolio review issues that are raised in that process. Thanks.