Former University of Virginia first ladies stand with then-current first lady Karen O’Neil in front of the Carr’s Hill living room fireplace, circa 1989. From left to right: Karen O’Neil, Constance Darden, Ann Hereford and Eleanor Shannon. (Contributed photo)
With three degrees from Harvard, including a degree in law, and having been president of the statewide University of Wisconsin system, President Robert O’Neil considered himself a real “outsider” at the University, unlike his immediate predecessors, Edgar Shannon and Frank Hereford, and his successor, John T. Casteen III. Like the other outsider president, Edwin Alderman, O’Neil came to the University with a distinct set of goals and the energy to achieve them.
Improving the representation of African Americans among students and faculty and the representation of women among faculty at the University was a particular area of concern in O’Neil’s presidency. He became the University’s sixth president in 1985, and by 1987, the University had established the Holland Scholarships to attract African American students. By 1989, the University’s Women’s Center had opened, as did a day care center for employees’ children. He established task forces to study the status of women and minorities at the University, and a task force to grapple with issues of student substance abuse.
Over the years, many dignitaries have been guests of the University’s presidents. Here President Jimmy Carter stands with (from left to right) the Carr’s Hill housekeeper, Shelby Hawkins; Carr’s Hill cook, Reginald Scott; David and Peter O’Neil; and Carr’s Hill head housekeeper, Barbara Jett. (Contributed photo)
O’Neil developed four new programs of study at the University: biomedical ethics, environmental science, women’s studies and Tibetan studies. He also established a new degree, a Master of Teaching in the Curry School of Education. He promoted interdisciplinary studies in science and more international awareness across the University.
During President O’Neil’s tenure, he welcomed ever increasing numbers of visitors to Carr’s Hill. (University of Virginia Alumni Association photo)
When O’Neil stepped down from office in 1990, the University, known widely as a “public Ivy,” was receiving more applications than ever. Out of 17,000 applicants for undergraduate admission, the University accepted 2,560. And the Law School had 6,000 applicants from whom to choose 380 first-year students. In five years, he had made a mark that was significant and long lasting. Like the presidents before him, he had opened the University’s gates a bit wider to the world.
Originally built in 1924 as faculty housing, O’Neil Hall was renovated and dedicated to President Robert O’Neil around 2016. It is now used as an administration building.