Virginia State University Faces Questions After Firing Six Agriculture Research Experts

June Battle, a Waverly farmer, aimed to reduce costs and boost productivity with help from a Virginia State University research expert.

June Battle, owner of Maroon Grove Farm in Waverly, holds a 3-week-old goat outside of Virginia State University’s campus, which is home to the Agricultural Research Station. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)

The goal was to measure how goats can manage on marginal lands and assess the suitability of the land for forages or plant growth. However, the plan changed after Vitalis Temu, the researcher working with Battle, and five others were abruptly fired from VSU’s Agricultural Research Station right before Christmas, sparking outrage from the farmers and public workers. The station, part of VSU’s College of Agriculture, supports small and part-time farmers.

“It’s not fair, and it’s not right,” said Battle at a press conference outside the campus on Tuesday.

“I was looking forward to that project, but I will no longer be able to participate. This isn’t right, and I hope Virginia State gets it right.”

Meanwhile, the professors, known as the “Fired Six,” are continuing to seek answers after claiming wrongful termination and are demanding unconditional reinstatement.

Tuesday was the first time they discussed their firing publicly.

“These terminations intentionally disrupted ongoing studies that VSU had already committed to support, thus costing the taxpayers over $10 million in federal and state-funded projects with applications beyond the institution,” Temu said, adding that the terminations wasted funds already spent on specialized equipment and facilities that cannot be repurposed.

He said the terminations raise “serious concerns about institutional integrity” and set a “bad precedent” with implications beyond VSU for protections afforded to tenured professors and the guarantees of academic freedom and job security.

The five tenured faculty and one tenure-track assistant professor say they were abruptly removed from the station without notice, in violation of procedural protections provided by tenure, VSU’s Severance Policy, and the Faculty Handbook.

This action follows recent federal changes to agricultural research funding, policy priorities, and USDA operations, which could significantly affect the station both directly and indirectly.

Vitalis Temu, an agricultural research expert, speaking to reporters outside of Virginia State University, which fired him and several faculty members from the institution’s agricultural research station on Feb. 24, 2026. (Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)

Gwen Williams Dandridge, a VSU spokeswoman, said in a statement that personnel matters are confidential and that the institution does not comment on individual employment actions.

On Dec. 16, 2025, the collective said they were called individually into meetings, which were presented as discussions about the research station’s transformational efforts. During these meetings, they were told their research programs were being sunset and that their employment would end immediately.

The group said they were given no written grounds for termination and were pressured to sign severance agreements immediately without adequate time to review the documents or consult legal counsel. They said they were warned that refusal would result in the forfeiture of any severance.

When they declined to sign the agreements, they were escorted off campus by university police, required to surrender IDs, keys, and equipment, and issued trespass warnings despite no misconduct.

Dandridge said VSU recently made “programmatic adjustments” in the College of Agriculture to align research and operations with the university’s strategic goals.

“The college remains fully operational and continues to provide high-quality instruction, research, and outreach,” Dandridge wrote.

United Campus Workers, American Association of University Professors supporters, and other community members joined the six professors Tuesday as they gathered in a nearby park outside campus.

The American Association of University Professors said VSU’s actions breached accepted standards for academic due process, which require written charges and a chance to present evidence.

The association also called on the university’s governing board to act. The board’s next meeting is April 23-24.

Renard Turner, an organic farmer in Louisa County, worked with Virginia State on a university-funded climate-smart program focused on sustainable practices like carbon sequestration and improved soil health. He said losing access to the program and its small livestock experts from West Africa and other regions threatens his farm’s survival and that of others.

“They come with a cultural knowledge of those animals that gives it more impetus, so they’re really an invaluable research source for us,” Turner said. “They get it, they understand it.”

Miles away from the institution, lawmakers are debating proposals to repeal a state law that bans collective bargaining for most public employees.

House Majority Caucus Chair Kathy Tran, D-Fairfax, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, are carrying the proposals. The House version was amended to exclude employees of public higher education institutions.

Supporters, including Ian Mullins, a member of United Campus Workers, said that if such initiatives were put in place, there would be no need for the former faculty members and VSU to be at odds.

“Right now, the General Assembly is voting on a collective bargaining bill, and they have removed higher education from public sector bargaining,” Mullins said. “We deserve public sector bargaining with the union. This would not happen. We would be able to defend ourselves.”

Lawmakers will have until the weekend of March 14 to wrap up any legislation before it heads to Gov. Abigail Spanberger for consideration.

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