The California State University board named Michael Spagna as Sonoma State’s permanent president, tasking him with stabilizing finances after deep enrollment declines and a year of program and staff cuts that triggered protests and lawsuits. Spagna, a veteran CSU leader, arrives Jan. 20 to execute a turnaround plan focused on enrollment growth and cost control. Meanwhile at the University of Virginia, the presidential search continues amid a governance fight between outgoing and incoming state executives, disputed accounts around the prior president’s departure, and an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department that tightened scrutiny of DEI practices. UVa’s board is moving through the third of four search phases even as political pressure mounts over timing and board legitimacy. Board chairs and trustees should expect near-term reputational scrutiny: Sonoma State’s leader will need rapid goodwill-building with faculty and community; UVa’s eventual appointment will send a signal about how a flagship public university responds to federal oversight and state partisan pressure.