Virginia Tech Rector Defies Governor’s Removal Effort

Virginia Tech Board of Visitors rector John Rocovich is pushing back on Governor Abigail Spanberger’s efforts to remove him from the board for alleged violations of its code of ethics.

Spanberger fired Rocovich from the board on Wednesday. But on Thursday Rocovich dug in, responding to the governor with a letter in which he denied violating the Board of Visitors’ code of ethics. He also called the effort to remove him “deeply offensive” and “legally unsupported,” essentially rejecting the premise that university boards serve at the pleasure of the governor.

He wrote that the board—which is appointed by the governor—is “an independent governing authority, insulated from the day-to-day political pressures of any particular administration.”

Rocovich, a major GOP donor, was appointed by former Republican governor Glenn Youngkin in 2022, though—as he noted in his letter—Democratic governors had also named him to the board in the past. Altogether he has served on the board three times, for a total of 16 years.

Though Spanberger has not publicly specified Rocovich’s alleged ethical violations, the governor’s office has previously expressed concern that the board may move to hire a new president before her appointees are seated. Outgoing president Tim Sands in April announced plans to step down, and Rocovich has said he hoped to replace him by July. Many presidential searches take up to a year, meaning Virginia Tech’s hiring effort would be abrupt.

The effort to remove Rocovich has split Virginia lawmakers into predictably partisan camps. 

Senate majority leader Scott Surovell, a Democrat, told Cardinal News he was pleased to see the governor working “to resolve the Youngkin Board of Visitors hangover and their politicization of our universities.” Meanwhile, House minority leader Terry Kilgore, a Republican, defended Rocovich and demanded that the governor specify his alleged violations.