By Associated Press’s Eric Tucker and Colin Bikley
Washington (AP) Under pressure from the Justice Department, which had pressed for his resignation amid criticism of the university’s diversity, equality, and inclusion policies, the president of the University of Virginia is stepping down, a source familiar with the situation said Friday.
The Trump administration’s attempt to transform higher education has dramatically increased with the retirement of James Ryan, who had been in charge of the institution since 2018. In a campaign that has primarily targeted Ivy League universities, doing it at a public university is a new frontier. By emphasizing DEI rather than purported tolerance of antisemitism, it further broadens the justification for the government’s forceful strategies.
The person, who was not authorized to discuss the move by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press, said that Ryan had been under fire from conservatives for not following federal orders to remove DEI policies and that the Justice Department had pushed for his removal as a means of resolving a department inquiry against the school.
The resignation and the Justice Department’s demand for it were originally reported in the New York Times. On Friday, the Justice Department chose not to comment.
Virginia s Democratic senators react
The Trump administration’s call for Ryan’s resignation over culture war traps was deemed absurd by Virginia’s Democratic senators in a joint statement. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner stated that this error will harm Virginia’s future.
Trump signed an order in January mandating the removal of DEI programs and radical indoctrination at all of the country’s colleges and universities, following his campaign pledge to eradicate wokeness in education. On the grounds that diversity initiatives discriminate against Asian American and white students, the Education Department has launched investigations against dozens of colleges.
School responses have been inconsistent. Some have eliminated diversity scholarships, shut down DEI offices, and stopped requiring diversity statements throughout the recruiting process. While some have stuck to their diversity policies, others have changed the name of DEI work.
After being accused by conservative critics of merely renaming its DEI initiatives, the University of Virginia became a flashpoint. In March, the school’s governing council decided to close the DEI office and terminate the school’s diversity initiatives in financial aid, recruiting, admissions, and other areas. Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, praised the move and stated that DEI is carried out at the University of Virginia.
America First Legal, a conservative organization started by Trump aide Stephen Miller, was one of many bringing attention to the Charlottesville campus. The group claimed in a May letter to the Justice Department that the institution chose to rename, repackage, and redeploy the same illegal infrastructure using a lexicon of euphemisms rather than destroy DEI operations.
Ryan was specifically targeted by the group, which pointed out that he signed a public statement denouncing the Trump administration’s political meddling and overreach along with hundreds of other college presidents.
Ryan has been leading the school since 2018
Ryan, who was previously the dean of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, was appointed to lead the University of Virginia in 2018. He taught law at the University of Virginia for more than ten years earlier in his career. According to a biography on Harvard’s website, Ryan was instrumental in expanding the faculty’s size, strength, and diversity while also emphasizing the importance of creating a varied community.
Up until today, the White House had focused mostly on Harvard University and other prestigious universities that Trump views as liberal strongholds. In its conflict with the government, Harvard has lost over $2.6 billion in federal research funds. The government has also threatened to remove the school’s tax-exempt status and tried to prevent it from accepting international students.
Harvard is in a unique position to withstand financial pressure from the government thanks to its $53 billion endowment. However, public institutions may be more vulnerable because they rely on taxpayer funding much more. The great majority of public colleges have much smaller endowments than the University of Virginia, which has one of the highest at $10 billion.
More in Nation-World News
-
Donald Trump names who he hopes Dems run for president in 2028
-
Donald Trump called creepy AF for comments he joked could be the end of my political career
-
Barron Trump was trending because of birthright citizenship. Here s what to know
