Hundreds of University and Charlottesville community members joined University President Jim Ryan outside Madison House Saturday morning to participate in a final Run With Jim. The Fourth-Year Trustees planned the event on a whim just a few hours after the announcement of Ryan’s resignation Friday morning with volunteer support from the younger councils.
Attendees included students, alumni, faculty and community members, who completed a 2.8 mile run that took them down McCormick Road, around Scott Stadium and back to the Rotunda.
Run With Jim was a recurring event where Ryan invited students and community members to join him for a morning run around Grounds. Some students attended regularly, while others made it a bucket list item to check off before graduating, often during the traditional fourth-year Run With Jim that would take place at the end of each academic year.
For fourth-year Batten student Anna Bartlett — and many other students in attendance — the tradition was a beloved one that will be missed.
“Run With Jim is one of my very first memories from first year … a lot of my friends and I had been really looking forward to finishing out fourth year with the Run With Jim,” Bartlett said. “Being able to do that one more time and just say thank you means a lot.”
Rather than a Run With Jim, Saturday’s run was advertised by the class councils as a Run For Jim. Keoni Vega, Class of 2026 president and fourth-year College student, made a group chat with Trustee members present in Charlottesville who coordinated all logistics, from route planning to publicity. According to Vega, Ryan took no part in the planning of the run.
“This is simply a show of support and genuine adoration for him and the years of service he put into our University,” Vega said.
Ryan showed up to run in good spirits and thanked everyone in attendance for their support. He reiterated the sentiments expressed in his letter to the University community Friday afternoon, emphasizing his love for the University. His acknowledgements were met with loud cheers and applause from the crowd.
Runners left Madison Hall at approximately 8 a.m. and started to filter into the south side of the Rotunda after completing the run 25 minutes later. Among the first to finish was Hunter Lutz, Class of 2025 alumnus and graduate Engineering student.
Lutz got to know Ryan as a member of the club running team and, like many in attendance, wanted to join the run to demonstrate his respect and admiration for Ryan as a leader.
“The community coming together immediately to showcase their support is a really powerful showcase of the University as a whole, what we represent and what we care about,” Lutz said. “He’s a really inspiring guy, you know, he's done a lot for this community and I'm really grateful to be part of it.”
A younger runner in attendance was Charlottesville High School senior Elaina Pierce, who is committed to run track and field at the University in 2026. Pierce emphasized the great running community she has found in Charlottesville and came out to support them, along with Ryan, as a Charlottesville native who has grown up around the University.
“This is my community … I just want to support it in any way I can,” Pierce said. “Jim has been a huge part of U.Va., and seeing everyone come out today and support him is awesome.
Members of the Trustees had expressed strong doubts about Ryan’s attendance, given the challenging circumstances following his resignation under pressure from the Department of Justice. Among these members was Boris Nakashyan, Trustees member and fourth-year College student, who led the event in person Saturday alongside members Bartlett and fourth-year College student Rob Martin.
“We truly did not expect him to be here. We did not reach out to him directly, we wanted to give him as much space as possible,” Nakashyan said. “But the joy everyone felt when they saw Jim should say a lot about how much people care about him in this community.”
Some participants travelled far and wide to attend the Run For Jim. Fourth-year Education student Meredith Collier is working in Washington, D.C. for the summer as a civics teaching fellow. Collier woke up at 5 a.m. to make it in time for the run in support of the University community and of Ryan, who she feels has inspired students to lead with integrity.
Collier, who had never participated in a Run With Jim before Saturday, said she wanted to inspire her own students and set an example for them to act when they see something they care about.
“I need to practice what I preach,” Collier said. “I care deeply about this community and the spirit of student self-governance that runs through every organization and every conversation we have on Grounds.”
Julie Caruccio, assistant vice president for strategic initiatives, was among the few faculty in attendance Saturday. Caruccio recently served as the interim Dean of Students and has held multiple positions in the Division of Student Affairs, working with the Honor Committee, Housing and Residence Life and Student Engagement and Inclusion.
According to Caruccio, Saturday’s run displayed the long-preserved tradition of student self-governance at the University and served as a reminder of its importance.
“This was a student-driven idea, student coordinated event, and it's what makes me so proud to work here,” Caruccio said. “I was excited to support it, and I was excited to see [students’] response to him and their response to what happened. This is why this is a special place.”
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