Colleges across the U.S. moved quickly to install new chief executives in a coordinated wave of leadership changes. The University of Virginia named Scott Beardsley, dean of UVA Darden, as its president effective Jan. 1; several other institutions — Emporia State, Columbia College, Mercer, Clemson (interim), Claremont McKenna (future), and the Los Rios district — also announced board-approved appointments or interim leaders. The appointments reflect boards acting to steady campuses after budget pressures, enrollment shifts and governance controversies.