VUU president resigning position

In a move she described as being in the university's best interest, Belinda Childress Anderson said yesterday that she will resign as president of Virginia Union University.

Anderson said in a statement that she wants "to make way for the university to secure new leadership positioned to meet new challenges."

Anderson said she had notified Frank Royal, chairman of the university's board of trustees, of her decision.

Royal said yesterday that he could not discuss Anderson's statement. "It came as a surprise, and I have no other comment," he said.

Anderson did not set a date for when she will step down but said she will work with the university on a transition plan.

Anderson is the 11th president of the private, historically black university in Richmond. She served as interim president for the 2003-2004 academic year and was appointed president in 2004.

In her statement, Anderson said she was leaving to pursue new opportunities after five years in the position.

"Our accomplishments are substantial, and I believe they will be enduring," she said.

But she said, "The pace and nature of challenges facing VUU, like many other institutions of higher learning, continue to change.

"I believe the best interests of the university will be served by my moving ahead and opening up an opportunity for new leadership uniquely qualified to confront the challenges," she said.

Anderson did not return phone calls seeking further comment, and Royal would not elaborate on the specifics of the challenges to which she was referring.

Her statement was released by Vanessa Moody Coombs, vice president for university relations, who said she was taken by surprise by the announcement.

A faculty member who asked not to be identified said Anderson gave no indication she was about to resign at yesterday's Thanksgiving celebration on campus. He said Anderson spoke at the gathering and mentioned that the university was facing tough financial times but expressed optimism about its future.

The university has faced financial problems in the past. In 1998, L. Douglas Wilder, the former governor who now is Richmond's mayor, withdrew as VUU's president-elect.

Wilder said he could not assume the post because of what he called previously undisclosed financial and management problems. The board, however, disputed those allegations.

The Baptist-affiliated university has an undergraduate enrollment of about 1,200 students and 70 full-time faculty members.

Former state Sen. Benjamin J. Lambert III, who serves on VUU's board of trustees, said yesterday that he was not surprised by Anderson's announcement. But he said he did not know the details of why she was leaving.

"She did a good job," he said. "We'll miss her."

Contact Karin Kapsidelis at (804) 649-6119 or .