Virginia Tech rector refuses to resign after Spanberger dismissal

Virginia Tech Board of Visitors member John Rocovich is refusing to resign after Gov. Abigail Spanberger removed him last week. In a four-page letter, Rocovich says he will stay through his term ending June 30, 2027, even as questions mount about why the gover

John Rocovich did not show up for the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors committee meetings Monday in Blacksburg, but he was clear about where he stands—and when he plans to leave.

Rocovich, a member of the board, refused to resign after Gov. Abigail Spanberger removed him last week after 16 years. In a four-page letter addressed to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Rocovich said he will not willingly depart before his term ends on June 30, 2027.

Spanberger’s move is part of a broader push by her administration to reshape governing boards at Virginia’s public colleges and universities. amid concerns across higher education that those bodies have become too politicized. The governor recently appointed four new members to Virginia Tech’s governing board.

Spanberger removed Rocovich, citing “misconduct” in a letter sent last Wednesday. But that letter did not spell out the specific details of Rocovich’s alleged violations. saying only that the findings provided “sufficient cause” for his removal. Rocovich pushed back on the decision, arguing that the governor failed to state the specific cause as required by law.

“I was appointed to serve a term. I have served that term faithfully. and I intend to fulfill my obligations to the students. faculty. and people of Virginia who depend upon the proper governance of this great university. ” Rocovich wrote. “Governor Spanberger’s letter failed to state my specific cause, as the law requires. I am confident she will find no such grounds.”.

Board member Will Holtzman, appointed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin and set to complete his term next year, said he was “disappointed” by the decision. “I think all of us were disappointed because I think it’s a unanimous feeling of our group that he has done a phenomenal job. and I didn’t understand at all why she removed him. and I don’t think there was any cause for it. ” Holzman said.

Lawmakers have also urged the governor to more explicitly state her reasons for terminating Rocovich. Senate Republican Caucus Chair Mark Obenshain. R-Harrisonburg. said Rocovich deserves “fairness. ” adding that transparency is “not optional” when the governor removes a sitting member of a university board.

“What makes this decision especially disappointing is that Governor Spanberger campaigned on a promise to depoliticize higher education governance and to reduce executive involvement in the affairs of Virginia’s universities. ” Obenshain said in a statement on Friday. “Removing the sitting rector of Virginia Tech without publicly stating a lawful basis appears inconsistent with those commitments.”.

Edward Baine. executive vice president of utility operations and president of Dominion Energy Virginia. was appointed to replace Rocovich and attended the first committee meeting on Monday. Baine did not comment on his appointment Monday morning. but he asked Provost Julie Ross about the university’s efforts to address enrollment. an area the board said it wanted to grow.

Rocovich’s dismissal came after the board voted to allow him to serve a third one-year term as rector during the search for Virginia Tech’s next president following Tim Sands’s departure in April. That vote and the board’s minutes noted that Rocovich was elected rector because no other nominees were available and he was willing to serve.

Rocovich has deep ties to the university. A native of Roanoke and a Virginia Tech graduate. he founded a law firm and specializes in taxation as well as trusts and estates law. He served on the board of visitors from 1997 to 2005. was appointed for a term from 2010 to 2014. and was rector from 2002 to 2004.

The Virginia Public Access Project has reported that Rocovich has donated to several Republican campaigns and candidates, including former Republican gubernatorial nominee and Spanberger rival Winsome Earle-Sears.

In his letter, Rocovich criticized the way he says the termination was communicated. He said he was disappointed with Spanberger’s use of a “subordinate“ to deliver the message. which he said was the opposite of the respect he showed the governor by calling her directly to discuss the board. “Virginia Tech deserves better than to be made a political football,” Rocovich wrote. “I have given too much of my life to this institution to stand by silently while its independence is threatened—regardless of which party holds the governor’s office.”.

The governor’s office and the office of the attorney general did not immediately respond on whether they will enforce the termination.

The board’s committee meetings continued on Monday, and the full board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. The body will vote on a new rector and vice rector to replace Rocovich and Sandy Davis, who died on March 17.

For all the procedural movement on campus, Rocovich’s position puts the dispute in a sharper spotlight: whether the governor’s stated basis for removal was sufficient, and whether the question of who runs the university’s governance can be settled without turning into a prolonged political conflict.

Virginia Tech John Rocovich Abigail Spanberger Board of Visitors rector misconduct higher education governance Mark Obenshain Will Holtzman Edward Baine