Two conflicting initiatives led by University alumni, faculty, parents and students have launched within a month of each other at the University. They each express opposing views — ResetUVA launched first, calls for the removal of University President Jim Ryan and Wahoos4UVA, launched in response is in support of Ryan.
The groups emerged after a tumultuous year for both higher education more broadly and the University community. Across the nation, universities are facing increased pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, which has issued cuts to federal research funding and attempts to interfere with international student enrollment. At the University, recent challenges have included the dissolution of the University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and allegations of comprising patient safety and pressuring faculty by U.Va. Health leadership.
Wahoos4UVA re-launched their website Friday in support of Ryan’s leadership of the University and in response to ResetUVA’s website launched May 15 which called to replace Ryan for misleading the University.
ResetUVA was created by the Jefferson Council, a conservative organization formed in 2020 and committed to preserving Jefferson’s legacy, to appeal to the University’s Board of Visitors — which retains the power to remove the president — to take urgent action in restoring principled leadership to the University, according to the Council’s website.
According to Jefferson Council President Joel Gardner, ResetUVA stemmed from the belief that the University lacked diversity of thought and, consequently, true freedom of expression. Gardner said the website serves as a place to factually support the points that the Jefferson Council puts forth.
“We felt the main purpose for our organization is education,” Gardner said. “We feel that most members of the University community … don't have a grasp of what's really going on on a day-to-day basis, and we do.”
Wahoos4UVA formed to stand against ResetUVA and what they view as a small faction designed to undermine the University’s leadership, distort its value and damage its future. According to Chris Ford, Wahoos4UVA co-chair and Class of 1987 alumnus, the group came together to generate more awareness about the truth of the recent successes of the University under Ryan’s leadership.
“There was a key group of people who came together with the thought of … how do we create … more of a presence … that gives a little bit of a forum to the U.Va. community that they currently don't have,” Ford said. “[We] wanted to create a forum that would allow a counter and truthful narrative.”
Ford said that such a “forum” for community members would set the record straight and illuminate the ways in which the University is continuing to excel.
“We need to really identify all of the positive things that are going on at the University, all the positive things that President Ryan has done and is doing and continues to do, as opposed to allowing this negative misinformation to continue to just permeate the ethos,” Ford said.
Wahoos4UVA is a group of alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends of the University banded together in support of Ryan’s leadership. In addition to their website re-launch, which used a new logo and provided more information surrounding their cause, they assembled a 13-member advisory council unveiled on the website.
The Jefferson Council initially published an advertisement in the Richmond Times-Dispatch in May, outlining what they view as seven serious leadership failures under Ryan’s tenure — the health system scandal, mishandled gun violation investigations pertaining to the 2022 shooting, an outbreak of antisemitism, the deterioration of the Honor System, DEI as a guise for a political agenda, a climate of fear and retribution on Grounds and an untransparent administration.
“We gave seven points which we thought were all very important in terms of why we felt that new leadership was warranted at the University,” Gardner said.
The advertisement additionally led readers to the ResetUVA website that details their discontent with Ryan’s work, declares the University in a state of crisis and calls for the University to seek new leadership. According to Gardner, those behind ResetUVA would like to see a University that values equality and a greater balance of ideologies represented in its student body.
“The most important factor for a University is having a level playing field for free exchange of ideas and having all students treated equally,” Gardner said. “Decisions [should] be made based on merit and character and not based on other factors.”
Wahoos4UVA also took out five full-page print advertisements Friday and Saturday in newspapers across Virginia, in which they announced several details of their growing effort, including the over 4,000 signatures of those in support of the initiative who signed a letter to the Board calling them to act modeling viewpoint diversity and independence from political interference.
Among the signatures displayed in the Daily Progress advertisement, names of faculty and staff from across the University can be found — former Dean of Students Cedric Rucker, Miller Center of Public Affairs Director William Antholis, Public Policy Prof. Jennifer Lawless and Nursing Prof. Beth Epstein.
“We believe it is our collective responsibility to do all this — and more to come — to push back against efforts to undermine the University’s leadership and the strong support that exists for that vision, distort its values and damage its future,” Wahoos4UVA wrote in a statement to The Cavalier Daily.
The statement also noted that the University was ranked first in the 2025 College Free Speech Rankings and has risen to the rank of fourth best public university — achievements they see as the direct result of Ryan’s leadership.
Gardner said that he does not know who is spearheading Wahoos4UVA, but he does not believe they have properly addressed ResetUVA’s seven points of issue with the University.
“I would think that that group, if they love U.Va., certainly support a lot of the same things we support,” Gardner said. “... We wanted to make sure people could read what the facts and the truth are behind the points we were making. They haven't done that. They just make conclusory statements and accusations without backing them up at all.”
According to Ford, Wahoos4UVA is not targeting a particular group, but rather acting as a counter to the increasing spread of discontentment with the University. Ford highlighted the Honor the Future campaign as one of Ryan’s prominent accomplishments.
“We are targeting an overall atmosphere that we're seeing in discussions about the University and in discussions about the president — the truth is, when we see the negativity out there, … we want people to understand that this is a president who put out [a] fundraising campaign with a goal of $5 million and raised over $6 million,” Ford said.
Both groups believe the University is in imminent peril — either by the actions of Ryan, or by those wishing to dismantle his power. Wahoos4UVA will continue to collect signatures and gather support, and the Jefferson Council aims to continue educating the community on the issues they believe are most important.
News Editor Cecilia Mould contributed reporting.
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