Ryan Resigns
by James A. Bacon
Under pressure from the Department of Justice, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan has submitted his resignation to resolve a DOJ investigation into the University’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, reports the New York Times. The Board has accepted Ryan’s resignation.
In a letter to Rector Robert Hardie, Ryan said that he had planned to step down at the end of the next academic year but “given the circumstances and today’s conversations,” he had decided with “great sadness” to tender his resignation, according to a source whom the Times said was briefed on the contents of the letter.
On March 7 the Board ordered Ryan to dissolve its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs and end all racial preferences. Due to frustratingly slow compliance, the Board followed up by tightening oversight over his efforts. On April 28 the Civil Rights division sent a letter demanding evidence that the University had complied with the March resolution. Governor Glenn Youngkin read the Board the riot act, demanding action on DEI, and Democratic Party legislators jumped into the picture by rejecting Youngkin’s nomination of board member Ken Cuccinelli, an act that quickly grew into a constitutional controversy as the legislators and the governor disagreed over whether they were empowered to do so.
Yesterday the Times reported that the DOJ officials had demanded Ryan’s resignation based on conversations with three anonymous sources who had been “briefed on the back-and-forth between the University and the Justice Department” but did not want to be identified discussing “negotiations that were supposed to remain private.” In retrospect, it is clear that the negotiations centered on the terms and conditions of Ryan’s departure.
It was unclear when Ryan will leave, the Times reported. In the letter, he said the resignation would be effective “no later than August 15, 2025.”
(Read more to see updates.)
The Times cast the story as significant nationally, for it “demonstrates President Trump’s success in harnessing the investigative powers of the federal government to accomplish his administration’s policy goals.”
Ryan was popular with faculty and students, and his departure is sure to generate consternation. A group identifying itself as Wahoos4UVA organized recently to make the case that UVA was thriving under his leadership.
The Jefferson Council (whose executive committee I serve on) and other conservatives strongly felt otherwise. Rhetorically, Ryan was committed to freedom of speech and expression. But, as an advocate of a leftist version of “social justice,” he built a large DEI bureaucracy; inculcated divisive racial, sexual and gender identity; presided over a strong leftward ideological drift in the faculty; watched passively as the Honor Code disintegrated; and did little to defend Thomas Jefferson’s legacy.
Effective July 1, all 17 members of the Board of Visitors will have been appointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin. The Board will have a rare opportunity to remake UVA. Not only does Ryan’s resignation open up the office of president, but the departure of Ian Baucom creates a vacancy in the office of provost (the chief academic officer). When Ryan came on as president in 2018, he swept out the old guard and installed all his own people as deans and senior administrative staff. The same could well occur in reverse.
I’ll have more to say as the story unfolds.
Update. Governor Youngkin issued the following statement: “I thank President Ryan for his service and his hard work on behalf of the University of Virginia. The Board of Visitors has my complete confidence as they swiftly appoint a strong interim steward, and undertake the national search for a transformational leader that can take Mr. Jefferson’s university into the next decade and beyond.”
Update: The Jefferson Council released the following statement:
The Jefferson Council views President Ryan’s resignation as a necessary and welcome step toward restoring intellectual diversity, depoliticizing the University, and commitment to equal treatment for all. He stepped down under intense scrutiny from the Board of Visitors, the Governor, and the Department of Justice over his leadership failures.
“For too long, policies driven by ideology rather than merit, achievement, and character have eroded trust, divided the community, and betrayed the University’s founding ideals,” said Joel Gardner, President of The Jefferson Council. “President Ryan’s administration refused to dismantle illegal and discriminatory DEI programs and failed to uphold the core educational mission of the University.”
The Jefferson Council consistently raised concerns about President Ryan’s leadership. Its investigative work exposed how his policies perpetuated illegal discrimination and eroded intellectual diversity, with all findings made publicly available at DEIatUVA.com and ResetUVA.com.
“This resignation signals a turning point for the University,” said Gardner. “UVA must now depoliticize its academic environment, abandon discriminatory practices, and return to its true purpose: educating students in a culture of civil dialogue, intellectual diversity, and the free exchange of competing ideas. Above all, this moment must usher in a renewed commitment to transparency and accountability at every level of University leadership.”
Update: Ryan released the following statement:
To the University community:
I am writing, with a very heavy heart, to let you know that I have submitted my resignation as President of the University of Virginia.
To make a long story short, 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. 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. This is especially true because I had decided that next year would be my last, for reasons entirely separate from this episode —including the fact that we concluded our capital campaign and have implemented nearly all of the major initiatives in our strategic plan.
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. If this were not so distinctly tied to me personally, I may have pursued a different path. But I could not in good conscience cause real and direct harm to my colleagues and our students in order to preserve my own position.
It has been an honor to be your President. Thanks for the outpouring of support over the last few days and weeks. My deepest gratitude to all of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni, who make this University and this community both great and good. This was an excruciatingly difficult decision, and I am heartbroken to be leaving this way.
Best,
Jim
Jim Ryan
President
Update: Jay Jones, Democratic nominee for Attorney General, made the following statement:
“The Trump Administration’s shameful and extreme political attacks against the University of Virginia undermine the rule of law, centuries of tradition, and all that UVA contributes to our Commonwealth.
“Let’s be clear: Donald Trump is trying to force his MAGA agenda onto Virginia. We need an Attorney General who will stand up for Virginians first and faithfully uphold equal protection under the law — not Jason Miyares, who has made it clear he answers to Trump, not the people of Virginia.
“The Attorney General is the people’s lawyer — responsible for defending our public institutions, upholding the Constitution, and ensuring no one is above the law, including Donald Trump.”
Update: U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement:
“Virginia’s economy and prosperity depend on the strength and integrity of our higher education system. 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. 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.”
James A. Bacon serves on the Jefferson Council executive committee, but the views expressed here are entirely his own.
