In 1960s St. Louis, a building boom was reshaping the city. A young Paul Mahoney figured he’d follow his father into the construction trades. That was the future for most kids growing up in Mahoney’s blue-collar neighborhood.
But someone noticed Mahoney was a gifted student. That led to a private-school scholarship and then to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he majored in electrical engineering and ran track. After that, Yale University’s law school.
After several years in private practice, Mahoney applied for a teaching job at the University of Virginia’s School of Law, where he has since served on the faculty 35 years, including eight as dean. Now, Mahoney is UVA’s interim president, appointed by the Board of Visitors last week after Jim Ryan’s resignation in June.
Mahoney, a new grandfather, sat down with UVA Today to talk about how education offered him opportunities he couldn’t imagine for himself, and how he plans to lead the University over the next academic year.
Q. It’s no secret UVA has faced some recent challenges. What motivated you to step in as a leader during this period?
A. It’s simple. I love the University and want to do what I can to help. I have experience negotiating agreements, navigating complex regulatory systems and advising organizations on governance. That experience may be helpful in the coming months.
I can’t speak for the Board of Visitors, but I believe they probably asked me to do this job because they thought I am a reasonably steady hand and that I have worked with nearly all the constituencies at UVA. I’m just going to do my best to stabilize things, get everyone in a position to do their best work, and then get out of the way.
Q. What are your immediate priorities?
A. My immediate priority is opening the lines of communication with stakeholders so that I’ll have a sense of what students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and the Charlottesville-Albemarle community are thinking, and vice versa.
I also recognize that the University can’t afford for the interim president to just be a caretaker. That would mean standing still in a dynamic environment, and standing still means falling behind. So, I intend to hit the ground running.
Q. How do you see your leadership shaping the University during this transitional period?
A. I have a no-drama personality that may help to calm some waters that have been a bit turbulent lately. As we start working together, I hope that students and faculty will develop confidence that shared governance and student self-governance are alive and well at UVA.
As a teen, Paul Mahoney never imagined college was in his future. But, starting in high school, the power of education opened doors that eventually led him to college degrees, a legal career, and then to the UVA faculty.
Paul G. Mahoney: I grew up in a working-class neighborhood. Most of the men in the neighborhood, including my father worked in construction-related trades, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and so on. There was a construction boom in Saint Louis in the 1950s and early 1960s, so those jobs were plentiful. I assumed that that’s what I would do when I grew up, but when I was in eighth grade, a selective prep school, St. Louis University High School, contacted me and ultimately offered me an academic scholarship.
I went there for high school and discovered that there were other career paths available to me, and that led me to MIT and Yale.
My story is about the transformative power of education. My high school invested in me, professors both at MIT and Yale took an interest in me and became mentors. That's what I want for students at UVA. I want every student to know that we’re in their corner. We want them to succeed, and we will deploy our resources accordingly.
Q. You had what would be considered a traditional law career, working for a well-respected firm in New York. What made you consider a switch from practicing law to teaching law?
A. As much as I enjoyed my legal practice, I found that I missed being in an academic environment. There is magic in the process of discovery through teaching and research, and I wanted to be a part of that, so I took a chance and went on the entry-level academic market. I was fortunate to have a few offers to choose among. I chose to come to UVA because it seemed to me to have the deepest commitment to quality teaching.
Q. What did you learn as dean of the Law School that will guide you as the University’s leader?
A. I learned a lot from observing the other deans. We met together as a group frequently, and I quickly observed that effective leaders put their egos to one side and focus on what’s in the organization’s best interests.
The deans I worked with woke up in the morning and went to bed at night thinking, “How do I make my school even better?” And I have no doubt I’ll find the same among the current deans. That servant mentality is something you can’t fake. You either have it or you don’t, and it will be obvious to others.
Q. When you are not teaching law or running the University, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
A. My wife Julia (also a Law School professor) and I are avid hikers, and, of course, there are many lovely places to do that in Central Virginia. I find cooking relaxing, so I do that when I get the opportunity. Julia and I are both fans of classical music and opera. We also attend many UVA sporting events. That’s an important part of our social life. Julia and I also try to get to Boston as often as we can to see our two adult sons, daughter-in-law and soon-to-be daughter-in-law, and our new granddaughter.
Q. Let’s fast forward to next May and Final Exercises. What must you accomplish between now and then to consider the 2025-26 academic year a success?
A. If the 10th president takes office with no major problems looming and a clear path to success, then I’ll feel good about my time as interim president. I was proud of the fact that when I handed the reins over to my successor at the Law School, the Law School’s finances were in excellent shape. We had many productive conversations underway with potential donors. Students, faculty and alumni seemed pleased with the Law School’s direction.
If I can say the same thing when the 10th president is inaugurated, I’ll be very happy.
