Recently, Jeff Shapiro, over at the The Times Dispatch wrote an article on how Gov. Tim Kaine may take over as president of UVA or VCU at the end of his term being Governor of Virginia. It is a good piece, and leans toward Kaine taking over for Trani at VCU. If that happens, I see it as a big win for Richmond, and a huge win for VCU. You know it’s got to be hard to take over after a leader like Eugene Trani. Maybe Kaine is just the man to do it. VCU, time and time again, is consistent in fueling Richmond’s downtown economy. With Kaine at the helm, could it get any better?

Gene Trani, who, as the Til Hazel of higher ed, has made VCU one of Richmond’s biggest developers, retires in 2010. John Casteen, a Beowulf scholar expert at schmoozing the deep-pocketed set, is supposed to stay at U.Va. until the close of a $3 billion fundraising drive in 2011.

Both schools presumably want presidents who can build on the momentum achieved under their current leaders.

Could Kaine, even though he’s declining comment on his future plans but swears off interest in other elective jobs?

Having run a state government, running a state university may be a logical next step for Kaine. He believes in public institutions as instruments for the public good. This feeds his activist streak, rooted in his Catholic faith.

In part because of a Jesuit education that emphasizes the intellectual, Kaine thrives on the friction of ideas. Such is rarely tolerated on Capitol Square but, ideally, is the hallmark of college campuses.

Beyond Kaine’s abstract needs, there are the actual needs of a university.

In addition to his profile — global because of the Virginia Tech tragedy, which fully displayed Kaine’s capacity for compassion and approachability — he has a vast network of contacts: Democratic and Republican; corporate and governmental; established Americans and new; wealthy and those aspiring to be.

Kaine’s breathy youthfulness — it endures even as he enters his 50s — could make him an ideal advocate for a university’s principal constituency: youth. This adds to a visibility Trani and Casteen can’t match because their focus is on construction and capital.

A footnote: Richmond seems a better fit for Kaine than Charlottesville, if only because the Holy City is his hometown and urban life reflects his taste for the eclectic.