Teresa A. Sullivan

Teresa Ann "Terry" Sullivan (born July 9, 1949) is the Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of Michigan State University. She is a retired American sociologist and university administrator and previously served as the President of the University of Virginia from August 1, 2010 until July 31, 2018.[2]

Teresa A. Sullivan
Interim Provost of Michigan State University
In office October 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020
8th President of the University of Virginia
In office August 1, 2010 – July 31, 2018
Preceded by	John T. Casteen III
Succeeded by	James Ryan
Provost of the University of Michigan
In office June 1, 2006 – July 1, 2010
Preceded by	Paul Courant
Succeeded by	Philip J. Hanlon
Personal details
Born	Teresa Ann Sullivan July 9, 1949 Kewanee, Illinois[1]
Spouse(s)	Douglas Laycock ​ (m. 1971)​
Alma mater	Michigan State University University of Chicago
Profession	Sociologist, Professor
Website	President Emerita website

Early life

Sullivan was born on July 9, 1949.[1] In 1970, she received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University's James Madison College, where she was asked to stay on as an intern in the office of the president by Clifton R. Wharton Jr., then the president. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1975.[1]

Career

She joined the faculty of the University of Texas as an instructor in sociology. At Texas, she held a variety of academic and administrative posts, including the chair of the sociology department, vice provost, and vice president and dean of graduate studies.[3] She then served as the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Michigan.

Sullivan has written or cowritten six books and over 80 scholarly articles in sociology.[4] In 1978, Sullivan authored Marginal Workers, Marginal Jobs: The Underutilization of American of Workers. In 1983, Sullivan co-authored The Dilemma of American Immigration: Beyond the Golden Door with Pastora San Juan Cafferty, Barry R. Chiswick and Andrew M. Greeley. In 1990, she co-authored The Social Organization of Work with Randy Hodson, which was described as a "pathbreaking textbook in the sociology of work" by Daniel B. Cornfield.[5] In 2020, Sullivan published Census 2020: Understanding the Issues, a textbook that covers the historical, logistical, and legal aspects of the United States Census.

She is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.[6]

Early in her career, Sullivan published on the labor force and immigration in the United States. This included "Labor Force Composition and Unemployment Trends," (Clifford C. Clogg and Sullivan), "The Occupational Prestige of Women Immigrants," "Documenting Immigration," "Measuring Underemployment and Inequality in the Work Force" (Clogg, Sullivan, and Jan E. Mutchler), "Estimating Labor Absorption with Published Data," and "Women Minority Workers in the New Economy: Optimistic, Pessimistic, and Mixed Scenarios ."

Throughout the 1990s and the 2000s, Sullivan continued to publish on immigration as well as issues undertaken by universities to diversify their campuses—including the Texas Top 10 Percent law. Among Sullivan's publications during this period are: "Student Feelings of Connection to the Campus and Openness to Diversity and Challenge at a Large Research University: Evidence of Progress?" (Jessica J. Summers, Marilla D. Svinicki, Joanna S. Gorin, and Sullivan), "Minority College Aspirations, Expectations and Applications under the Texas Top 10% Law" (Kim M. Lloyd, Kevin T. Leicht, and Sullivan), "Minority Talent Loss and the Texas Top 10 Percent Law" (Sunny Xinchun Niu, Sullivan, and Marta Tienda), and "The Promise and the Peril of the Texas Uniform Admission Law" (with Marta Tienda).

Consumer Bankruptcy Study

In the 1980s, Sullivan worked with legal scholars Elizabeth Warren and Jay Lawrence Westbrook on what could become Phase I of the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, which, at its time, was the largest study of consumer bankruptcy in the United States.[7]

The findings of Phase 1 of this project culminated in several academic articles, including "Limiting Access to Bankruptcy Discharge: An Analysis of Creditors' Data," "Folklore and Facts: A Preliminary Report from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project," "The Use of Empirical Data in Formulating Bankruptcy Policy," and "Laws, Models, and Real People: Choice of Chapter in Personal Bankruptcy." In 1989, Sullivan, Warren, and Westbrook published the book-length study, As We Forgive Our Debtors: Bankruptcy and Consumer Credit in America, which was described as setting "an example for legal scholarship which has rarely been, and will rarely be, met," by Michael J. Herbert.[8] This book was given the Silver Gavel Award in 1990 by the American Bar Association and was a finalist for the American Sociological Association’s Distinguished Scholarly Contribution competition.[9] The authors were also invited to give testimony before congressional committees, state legislatures, and the National Commission on Bankruptcy Reform to explain the findings of their study and what their study uncovered about the American consumer bankruptcy system, its strengths, and its weaknesses.[9]

Phase II of the Consumer Bankruptcy Study centered on the use of the bankruptcy system by middle-class Americans. Sullivan, Warren, and Westbrook published several academic articles on their findings including, "Consumer Credit Ten Years Later: A Financial Comparison of Consumer Bankrupts 1981-1991" and "Consumer Bankruptcy in the United States: A Study of Alleged Abuse and of Local Legal Culture: Journal of Consumer Policy." Sullivan also published "Methodological Realities: Social Science Methods and Business Reorganizations." The authors published their book-length study, The Fragile Middle Class: Americans in Debt in 1999, which was described by Andrew Greeley as "a well-designed and carefully executed study."[10]

Phase III of the Consumer Bankruptcy Study studied the growing numbers of women and older Americans filing for bankruptcy. Several academic articles were published on Phase III findings including, "Rethinking The Debates Over Health Care Financing: Evidence from the Bankruptcy Courts" (Melissa B. Jacoby, Sullivan, and Warren), Sullivan's "Gender Differences in Accounts of Bankruptcy," Sullivan, Warren, and Westbrook's "Less Stigma or More Financial Distress: An Empirical Analysis of the Extraordinary Increase in Bankruptcy Filings," "The Increasing Vulnerability of Older Americans" (Deborah Thorne, Sullivan, and Warren), and Sullivan's "Debt and Simulation of Social Class."

Presidency of the University of Virginia

Sullivan was unanimously elected on January 11, 2010, and became the University's first female president on August 1, 2010.[3] However, on June 10, 2012, it was announced to the University that Sullivan would step down from her position on August 15, 2012, after serving only two years of a five-year contract. Leaders of the university’s governing board decided to remove Sullivan, "largely because of her unwillingness to consider dramatic program cuts in the face of dwindling resources and for her perceived reluctance to approach the school with the bottom-line mentality of a corporate chief executive".[11] Counterpunch presented the dispute as being more about differing views of the academic culture and future direction of the university than immediate financial concerns; whether less popular traditional-classical academic studies should be cut, with funding refocused on more profitable and business-oriented courses and programs.[12] Later news reports presented the resignation as an "ouster" organized by Helen Dragas, rector of the university's Board of Visitors; with strong suggestions of Dragas' conflicting views of the future of the university, and personal ambitions playing a role in her actions.[11] Although a formal meeting and vote of the full board was not held at the time, Sullivan was presented with the news of her loss of majority support within the board, and given the 'opportunity' to resign.

The public announcement of her resignation was communicated via an email by Dragas on behalf of the Board of Visitors. The message quoted from Sullivan's resignation letter and cited "philosophical differences" on how the University was to be run. Large-scale protest against the action, and support for Sullivan from students, faculty, alumni, as well as the national academic community, resulted, including a faculty senate demand for the removal of the Board of Visitors leaders – Rector Helen Dragas and Vice Rector Mark J. Kington[13] – and demands from the student government for an explanation for the ouster.[14] In the face of this pressure, including a statement from Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell that he would remove the entire board if they failed to resolve the issue at their June 26 meeting,[15] the board unanimously voted to reinstate Sullivan as president.[16][17]

Shortly after the 2014 publication of the Rolling Stone magazine article "A Rape on Campus", which documented an alleged gang rape by one of the University's fraternities, Sullivan suspended all Greek organizations until January 9, 2015.[18] In January 2015 Sullivan acknowledged that the magazine's reporting had been "discredited": the story's author failed to interview numerous alleged witnesses named in the source's account, in addition to other inconsistencies. Sullivan said, "Before the Rolling Stone story was discredited, it seemed to resonate with some people simply because it confirmed their darkest suspicions about universities—that administrations are corrupt; that today's students are reckless and irresponsible; that fraternities are hot-beds of deviant behavior."[19][20][21]

In January 2017, Sullivan announced her intention to retire effective September 30, 2018. She was succeeded by James Ryan on August 1, 2018 [22]

Interim Provost of Michigan State University

On September 16, 2019, Michigan State University named Sullivan as the new interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, effective October 1, 2019, serving through the end of the academic year.

Personal life

Sullivan is married to legal scholar Douglas Laycock.[1][23]

References

1. "President Sullivan Ushers In a New Era at U.Va". UVA Today. August 1, 2010. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
2. "President Ryan's First Day in Office, Told Through Photos". August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
3. "Teresa A. Sullivan, Extraordinary Leader and Respected Scholar, to Become Eighth President of U.Va". UVa Today. January 11, 2010. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
4. De Vise, Daniel (January 11, 2010). "University of Virginia picks its first female president". Washington Post.
5. Cornfield, Daniel B. (2016). "Randy Hodson, Agent of a New Sociology of Work: Remembrance, Reflection, and Celebration.". In Keister, Lisa A.; Roscigno, Vincent J. (eds.). A Gedenkschrift to Randy Hodson: Working with Dignity. Bingley, U.K.: Emerald Publishing. pp. xvii–xxv. ISBN 9781785607264. OCLC 1000472321.
6. "President Teresa A. Sullivan Inducted Into American Academy of Arts and Sciences". News.virginia.edu. October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
7. Sullivan, Teresa, A.; Warren, Elizabeth; Westbrook, Jay, Lawrence (1988). "Laws, Models, and Real People: Choice of Chapter in Personal Bankruptcy". Law & Social Inquiry. 13 (4): 663.
8. Herbert, Michael J (1990). "Book Review: As We Forgive Our Debtors: Bankruptcy and Consumer Credit in America". University of Richmond Law Review. 25 (1): 232.
9. Sullivan, Teresa, A.; Warren, Elizabeth; Westbrook, Jay, Lawrence (1999). As We Forgive Our Debtors: Bankruptcy and Consumer Credit in America. Washington D.C.: Beard Books. pp. preface.
10. Yale University Press https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300251890/fragile-middle-class. Retrieved July 20, 2020. Missing or empty |title= (help)
11. Daniel de Vise and Anita Kumar, "U-Va. Faculty Senate to meet in emergency session Sunday over Teresa Sullivan’s ouster", Washington Post, June 17, 2012
12. Surin, Kenneth. Virginia Politicians and the Slow Strangulation of Its Famous State University (January 2, 2017), CounterPunch
13. Associated Press (June 18, 2012). "University of Virginia asks rector, vice rector to resign after president's ouster". Retrieved June 19, 2012.
14. Karin Kapsidelis (June 15, 2012). "U.Va. Student Council seeks full explanation of ouster". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
15. Anita Kumar & Jenna Johnson (June 22, 2012). "McDonnell tells U-Va. board to resolve leadership crisis, or he will remove members". Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
16. Sara Hebel; Jack Stripling & Robin Wilson (June 26, 2012). "U. of Virginia Board Votes to Reinstate Sullivan". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
17. The Associated Press (June 26, 2012). "University of Virginia Board Reinstates President". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
18. DeBonis, Mike; Shapiro, T. Rees (November 22, 2014), "U-Va president suspends fraternities until Jan. 9 in wake of rape allegations", The Washington Post, archived from the original on April 24, 2016, retrieved April 2, 2016
19. "Prepared Remarks for Presidential Address on the University" (Press release). University of Virginia. January 30, 2015. Archived from the original on January 31, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
20. Schow, Ashe (January 30, 2015). "U.Va. president admits rape story was false; keeps restrictions on fraternities". Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on January 31, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
21. https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/UVa-President-School-to-Be-National-Leader-on-Campus-Safety-290399841.html
22. "Board of Visitors Selects James Ryan as University of Virginia's Next President". UVA Today. September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
23. Colleen Flaherty, Transparency vs. Censorship, Inside Higher Ed, May 29, 2014

External links