University President Jim Ryan announced his resignation to the University community Friday afternoon, following the Board of Visitors’ acceptance of his resignation Thursday. In his statement, sent via email to the entire community, Ryan said that choosing to remain in his position would threaten employees’ jobs, researchers’ funding and students’ financial aid and visa access.
“I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in this University. But I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job,” Ryan wrote.
Robert Hardie, outgoing Rector of the Board, confirmed in a statement to The Cavalier Daily that he had accepted Ryan’s resignation on behalf of the Board “with profound sadness.”
“Jim Ryan has been an extraordinary president of this great University. He has led our institution to unprecedented heights, always doing so with grace and humility,” Hardie wrote. “... U.Va. has forever been changed for the better as a result of Jim's exceptional leadership.”
This resignation follows an ongoing investigation conducted by the Department of Justice into Ryan’s leadership and what they viewed as Ryan’s refusal to dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies at the University. The New York Times reported Thursday that department officials had demanded Ryan’s resignation in private negotiations with the Board of Visitors.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon for the Civil Rights Division, in a written statement to The Cavalier Daily, said that the Department of Justice has a “zero-tolerance” policy towards illegal discrimination at publicly funded universities.
“When university leaders lack commitment to ending illegal discrimination in hiring, admissions, and student benefits – they expose the institutions they lead to legal and financial peril,” Dhillon said in the statement. “We welcome leadership changes in higher education that signal institutional commitment to our nation’s venerable federal civil rights laws.”
At the end of April, the Department of Justice sent a letter to the University, setting a deadline of May 2 for the University to provide a report proving it had fully dismantled all DEI initiatives and policies. This deadline was eventually extended until May 30. It is not clear whether this report was provided by the University.
The Department of Justice alleges that Ryan failed to comply with the directive to dismantle DEI programs at the University and has misrepresented efforts made by his administration to comply with federal law.
In a written statement to The Cavalier Daily before Ryan’s resignation, University spokesperson Bethanie Glover said that the University is working closely with the Justice Department.
“UVA is committed to complying with all federal laws and has been cooperating with the Department of Justice in the ongoing inquiries,” Glover said. “The federal government’s support of the University is essential to continue the core mission of research, education and clinical care.”
The Board dissolved the Office of DEI and Community Partnerships March 7, in accordance with a directive from President Donald Trump’s administration, and requested that Ryan and his administration submit a document 30 days after that which detailed the actions they had taken to address the Board’s directive.
The Cavalier Daily submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the University for this document and was told that it was protected under “presidential communications.”
The Department of Justice said that if Ryan did not resign, the University would risk losing hundreds of millions in research funding, according to the New York Times.
Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner shared a joint public statement following the New York Times article, linking Ryan’s resignation to what they see as President Donald Trump’s larger “culture war” against American universities.
“It is outrageous that officials in the Trump Department of Justice demanded the Commonwealth’s globally recognized university remove President Ryan — a strong leader who has served UVA honorably and moved the university forward — over ridiculous ‘culture war’ traps,” the statement read.
In his email to the community, Ryan said that he had planned to resign next year — for reasons beyond the current political pressure his administration has faced — but that current circumstances pushed him to resign now.
“While there are very important principles at play here, I would at a very practical level be fighting to keep my job for one more year while knowingly and willingly sacrificing others in this community,” Ryan wrote. “... I could not in good conscience cause real and direct harm to my colleagues and our students in order to preserve my own position.”
According to the New York Times, Ryan’s letter to the Board said that his resignation could be effective immediately but no later than August 15, 2025.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Government has the power to prevent further political violence
By Editorial Board | 10 hours agoYoungkin cannot be held responsible for the attacks like that in Culpeper, but he can play a powerful role in preventing this disease of hatred from spreading.
Va. Senate Democrats sue Rector Hardie, others over Youngkin appointees
By Nina Broderick | 2 days agoThe lawsuit is the Democrats’ next step in the political standoff regarding the legitimacy of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee’s vote to deny eight of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s appointees to university boards June 10.
After two years preparing for House settlement, Virginia is ready to embrace it
By Michael Liebermann | 3 days agoThe fundraising race is on, and that is nothing new. Its stage has just shifted.
