The Ousting of a UVA President

The attempted ouster of University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan in 2012.

Helen Dragas leaves a BoV meeting at 3am June 19 during the height of the presidential ouster uproar, escorted by beer tycoon John Nau, III. Photo by Hawes Spencer.

Although people responsible for the decision said it was in the works for a while, the ouster of University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan looked like a bolt from the blue, an unexplained move toward something called "strategic dynamism," whatever that means. Since it broke on a warm Sunday afternoon, June 10, this was a rapidly developing story that moved, for Sullivan, from tragedy to triumph. On the afternoon of Tuesday, June 27, 2012, after more than two weeks of student, faculty, and alumni dissent, a chastened and admittedly humbled Board of Visitors unanimously voted Sullivan back into office.

For the third time, the Virginia Press Association bestowed its top honor– the Journalistic Integrity and Community Service Award– on the Hook for the paper's coverage of the ouster and subsequent reinstatement of Sulliv…