Billionaire hedge fund mogul Paul Tudor Jones is not getting love in Virginia.
The president of the University of Virginia and scores of faculty members took issue this week with Jones, a generous alum of the school, who said recently that having babies is a “killer” for a woman’s career.
On Wednesday, some 82 faculty members of the prestigious school, which founded by Thomas Jefferson, sent a letter to John Simon, UVA’s executive vice president and provost, demanding that the administration “promptly” respond to Jones’ remarks, The Post has learned.
In their letter to Simon, a copy of which was obtained by The Post, the staffers also condemned Jones’ remarks, which he made at a symposium there in April, as “false and injurious.”
“As soon as that baby’s lips touched that girl’s bosom, forget it,” Jones told an audience of students, alumni and others at the symposium.
Simon answered the faculty letter 24 hours later, The Post has learned.
“Neither President Sullivan nor I agree with [Jones’] statement that having a family disadvantages a woman’s ability to perform in the workplace,” Simon said in an email, a copy of which was seen by The Post.
“[Jones’] comments were of his own volition, he was not speaking on behalf of U.Va., and he has since issued a public apology,” Simon wrote.
The provost didn’t condemn the remarks, however.
“As administrators, we are often called upon to condemn opinions different from our own,” the Simon email continued. “At a university, however, freedom of expression is fundamental to our mission.”
Jones made his comments during a question-and-answer period. They gained wide attention last week after the Washington Post obtained a copy of the video through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Jones, founder of the $12 billion hedge fund Tudor Investor Corp., has donated millions to UVA and has been active in its affairs. Last summer, he famously wrote an op-ed supporting the ouster of the school’s president, Teresa Sullivan.
Sullivan was reinstated following protests from the students, faculty and alumni.
Jones, who has three daughters, issued a statement to clarify his comments after the video emerged. He said the remarks were specific to macro-trading, which he evidently deems far tougher than other professions.
“My off-the-cuff remarks at the University of Virginia were with regard to global macro traders, who are on call 24/7 and of whom there are likely only a few thousand successful practitioners in the world today. Macro trading requires a high degree of skill, focus and repetition. Life events, such as birth, divorce, death of a loved one and other emotional highs and lows are obstacles to success in this specific field of finance.” Post staff