Editor’s Note: The student responses described in this article were collected via a Microsoft Form posted to The Cavalier Daily’s Instagram account Friday. At the time of publication, the form had received 121 responses.
Following University President Jim Ryan’s resignation from his position Friday, The Cavalier Daily asked students to share their reactions via an online form. Of the 121 responses received, all but one student expressed concern about Ryan’s resignation and what it meant for the University, its students and the state of higher education in the United States.
“My immediate reaction was shock, then anger, then grief,” third-year College student Alex Minter wrote. “Shock that an administration claiming it supports academic freedom has gone so far into doing the opposite, anger that a popular, if flawed, president is leaving and grief over what will come next.”
Many students said that they believed in the vision that Ryan had for the University, citing his commitment to inclusivity and open discourse. Seeing this vision come to an end with his resignation, students expressed outrage and sadness.
17 students used some version of the word “devastated” with 16 also using some version of the word “disappointed.” 16 said some version of “heartbroken," and 11 used the word “overreach" to describe the federal government’s actions.
“I’m deeply outraged at the reasoning behind [Ryan’s resignation] but even deep inside my anger, all I can feel is sadness and an immense powerlessness,” one graduate student, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
While most students said they were surprised by Ryan’s resignation, one graduate student who asked to remain anonymous said he felt that it was not surprising given what he perceived as Ryan’s tendency to cave to those in government.
“From allowing riot police to mass arrest peaceful protesters last spring, to even entertaining the idea of dismantling the University’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, his tenure is one defined by a lack of convictions or even just the commitment to the values he claims this University stands for,” he said.
While many students saw the federal government’s pressure on Ryan as an overtly political act — 12 used the word “overreach” — third-year College student Ryan Shoztic emphasized that throughout Ryan’s tenure, he has been criticised by people on both sides of the political spectrum. For Shoztic, these critiques are a sign of Ryan’s principled leadership.
“[Ryan’s] leadership was met with criticisms from people on both sides of the political spectrum, but never was that a sign of incompetence or carelessness. Rather, it was a sign he was someone who was willing to do what was unpopular to remain guided by reason,” Shoztic said.
For many students, it is hard to imagine the University without Ryan. He was elected by the Board of Visitors in September 2017 after former University President Teresa Sullivan retired. He began August 2018, serving as president during a tumultuous time — a global pandemic in 2020, a mass shooting in 2022, the end of affirmative action in 2023 and the violent dispersal of a protest on Grounds in 2024.
Most recently, Ryan and his administration have navigated a completely new landscape for higher education with universities facing what many students called an “abuse” of government power.
“[Ryan’s resignation] is a disgusting overreach of government power and an absolute denial of student self-governance,” fourth-year Engineering student Lily Byers said.
The Department of Justice said that if Ryan did not resign, the University would risk losing research funding like institutions such as Harvard University who have chosen to fight back. Ryan said he could not put his own job above the jobs of others. But some students are concerned that his resignation will make things worse, not better.
“It’s a major overreach by the federal government and there is the potential for negative consequences on important funding for research and programs that focus on inclusivity and advancement,” fourth-year College student Sanjula Chitty said.
While the DOJ alleges that Ryan illegally prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion programs, students shared that it was his commitment to these programs which enabled them to attend this University and which made them feel heard and seen.
“U.Va. is a university built on brilliance and deep contradiction — founded by a man who championed liberty while enslaving others,” fourth-year Commerce student Bethel Dawit said. “President Ryan confronted that legacy with courage. He didn’t just talk about inclusion — he lived it. He ran alongside students, listened to us and made belonging a priority.
In total, 23 students described Ryan and his leadership as “great and good,” a phrase Ryan used to describe his vision that the University should be a place where students are given the tools to achieve great things while also being good people who are dedicated to public service and giving back.
“What they don’t get is that while the Great and Good vision was outlined by President Jim Ryan, his efforts weren’t forced onto the student body,” fourth-year Batten student Lillian Dorathy said. “We embraced it and made it student-led.”
Students and alumni are also concerned about what Ryan’s resignation means for other universities. Class of 2025 alumna Sofia Quint said that while she opposed some of Ryan’s actions as president — specifically his decision to use police force to clear an encampment May 4, 2024 — she was upset at his resignation.
“To me, Ryan’s resignation is the warning sign, the canary in the coal mine or the signal fire to all public universities across the country that [the Trump administration] cares more for their own power than the wellbeing of young Americans,” Quint wrote.
Students also emphasized that outside political pressure should play no role in a university, expressing profound concern at what many saw as an abuse of power by the Trump administration.
“With this resignation now, though, it’s introduced a pathway for a new university president to act at the disposal of Trump’s administration, which will ultimately damage the University and its community,” said fourth-year Commerce student Marie Moekema. “This is not what the [students] want, and it’s not what we need.”
But students do not only blame the Trump administration — they also blame the Board for what they see as abdicating their duty to fight for Ryan and his vision of the University. Rector Robert Hardie accepted Ryan’s resignation yesterday on behalf of the Board.
Fourth-year College student LillyAnne Day-Miller said that students must take it upon themselves to stand up for Ryan and the University
“A U.Va. that bows to pressure, that allows itself to be bullied by power rather than led by principle — that’s not the U.Va. I signed up for,” Miller said. “If we allow this moment to pass without speaking up, then we’re not just losing a president. We’re losing our identity.”
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