Spanberger Removes Virginia Tech Rector

Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger removed Virginia Tech Board of Visitors rector John Rocovich from his role Wednesday, accusing him of violating the board’s code of ethics.

“Your conduct has violated the Code of Conduct for Commonwealth Appointees to Boards, Authorities, & Commissions, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors’ Code of Ethics, and the governing statues requiring board members to act in accordance with the best interests of Virginia Tech,” Spanberger wrote in a brief letter that did not touch on specific violations.

The governor’s office responded to a request from Inside Higher Ed for more details by sending a news release about Rocovich’s replacement, which offered no additional insights on the matter.

Rocovich’s removal is the latest move by the Democratic governor, who shook up university boards on her first day in office and appointed 27 new members. More broadly, Virginia Democrats clashed with former Republican governor Glenn Youngkin throughout much of last year over his board appointments, which were heavy on conservative power players and GOP donors.

Rocovich, a Youngkin appointee, was a major donor to Youngkin and other Republicans. (He also served prior stints on the Virginia Tech board, from 1997 to 2005 and 2010 to 2014.)

Last year, the board changed its rules to allow Rocovich a third consecutive term as rector.

His ouster comes at a time of uncertainty for Virginia Tech after long-serving president Tim Sands, in the job for 12 years, announced in April that he will step down in the near future. Although few details have emerged about his decision to resign, Virginia senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat, alleged that board members sought to push him out. Kaine said that the board wanted to replace Sands before Spanberger appointed new members who might shape the hire.

The board is currently dominated by Youngkin appointees.

As rector, Rocovich tried to speed up the hire for Sands’s replacement. While presidential searches commonly take up to a year at many public universities, Rocovich has said that Virginia Tech’s next president could be hired by July.

Virginia Tech refused to answer questions about the removal of Rocovich.

“The governor has informed us of this action. We have no comment,” university spokesperson Mark Owczarski wrote in response to emailed questions from Inside Higher Ed.

Virginia Tech’s next board meeting is Monday.