The president of the University of Virginia (UVA), James E. Ryan, announced his resignation Friday following growing pressure from the Trump administration’s Department of Justice, marking a new escalation in the federal government’s efforts to reshape higher education policy.
Ryan, who has served as UVA’s president since 2018 and was under contract through 2028, cited the risk of widespread institutional harm as a key reason for stepping down. “I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job,” he wrote in a message to the UVA community. “To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld.”
The Department of Justice had launched a civil rights investigation into UVA’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Despite UVA disbanding its DEI office in March — a move that Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin hailed as “the end of DEI at UVA” — federal authorities reportedly continued to push for leadership changes, citing concerns over alleged discrimination in admissions, hiring, and student benefits.
The New York Times first reported that Ryan’s resignation was influenced by Justice Department pressure, with millions in federal funding at stake if the university did not comply. While Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, herself a UVA alumna, declined to confirm whether the DOJ explicitly demanded Ryan’s resignation, she emphasized that the department had made its expectations clear.
“When university leaders lack commitment to ending illegal discrimination… they expose the institutions they lead to legal and financial peril,” Dhillon said in a statement. “We welcome leadership changes in higher education that signal institutional commitment to our nation’s venerable federal civil rights laws.”
Political and Academic Fallout
Ryan’s departure sparked immediate backlash from Virginia’s Democratic leaders and academic freedom advocates. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, issued a joint statement condemning the DOJ’s involvement in university leadership decisions.
“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 – over ridiculous ‘culture war’ traps,” the senators wrote. “This is a mistake that hurts Virginia’s future.”
They stressed that leadership decisions should remain within the purview of the university’s board, not federal political pressure.
Broader Context
The development is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to overhaul higher education by targeting what it views as “ideological bias” in universities. The administration has already challenged affirmative action, diversity mandates, and faculty hiring practices at several institutions.
As the administration signals a tougher stance on university governance, Friday’s resignation could have a ripple effect across the country — with other institutions now potentially facing similar pressure if they do not quickly align with federal expectations on civil rights compliance.