University of Virginia President Jim Ryan speaks during a memorial service on November 19, 2022 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Mike Kropf | Getty Images
The president of the University of Virginia is resigning following pressure from the Trump administration to step aside amid a Justice Department probe into the school’s diversity practices.
James E. Ryan convened a meeting with his senior leadership on Friday and announced that he would be stepping down, according to a source who attended the UVA Board of Visitors meeting.
The Justice Department had demanded Ryan step down in order to resolve an investigation over the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to The New York Times, which was first to report the news of his resignation.
The university’s governing Board of Visitors voted in March to end its DEI office under the Trump administration’s order that U.S. schools end diversity programs or risk losing federal funding. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin had praised the decision, saying the board “voted for common sense.”
“DEI is done at the University of Virginia. We stand for the universal truth that everyone is created equal, and opportunity is at the heart of Virginians’ and Americans’ future,” he said in a March 7 news release.
But the Justice Department accused the school of failing to completely dismantle DEI and sent a letter dated June 17 warning that it needed to act fast, the NYT reported.
The DOJ and the University of Virginia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said in a joint statement Friday that it was “outrageous that officials in the Trump Department of Justice demanded the Commonwealth’s globally recognized university remove President Ryan.”
They called him a “strong leader” who served the school “honorably and moved the university forward.”
“Virginia’s economy and prosperity depend on the strength and integrity of our higher education system,” the statement read. “Decisions about UVA’s leadership belong solely to its Board of Visitors, in keeping with Virginia’s well-established and respected system of higher education governance. This is a mistake that hurts Virginia’s future.”
The school’s board accepted Ryan’s resignation, The New York Times reported. He has served as the school’s ninth president since 2018.
