The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors, appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, unanimously selected Darden School Dean Scott C. Beardsley as UVA’s next president, a decision the board announced Friday and that takes effect Jan. 1, 2026. The pick closes a controversial search that followed the resignation of former president James E. Ryan under pressure from the Trump administration and months of public dispute over the board’s legitimacy. Beardsley, a former McKinsey partner and long-serving Darden dean, faced skepticism from faculty, students and the incoming Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, who had urged a pause until she could fill vacant seats. The board defended its process and praised Beardsley’s record at Darden; campus leaders warned of a rocky transition and potential clashes with the new governor and a Democratic-majority legislature. Why it matters: the selection resolves a high-profile governance standoff at a flagship public university and sets up immediate tests for campus trust, faculty governance and state-university relations as Beardsley assumes leadership.