Last Friday (June 27), University of Virginia President James E. Ryan stepped down from his position after heavy pressure was exerted upon him by the administration of President Donald Trump to do so. The move was in response to a letter sent to Ryan and his staff by the Justice Department, which demanded his resignation in order to settle an investigation into the university over its diversity policies.
Ryan had already decided to step down as president at the end of the next academic year, but “given the circumstances and today’s conversations,” decided to resign in a letter sent out to the head of the board overseeing the university. According to a source who viewed the letter, his resignation could be effective immediately but “no later than Aug. 15, 2025,” and it prompted students and faculty members to assemble at Carr’s Hill, the president’s residence in a show of solidarity.
The Justice Department’s letter was written and signed by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon and Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights Gregory W. Brown, both who are alumni of UVA’s School of Law. Brown had already sued the school as a private lawyer.
Their letter, dated June 17, alleged that the department had multiple complaints of race-based treatment on campus and that there were “widespread practices throughout every component and facet of the institution.” They advised the board to move swiftly, writing: “Time is running short, and the department’s patience is wearing thin.”
The resignation of Ryan is another startling step in the campaign by the Trump administration to exert pressure on universities in the United States to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, in addition to cracking down on what it deems are policies promoting antisemitism. UVA alum and Morgan State University political science professor Dr. Jason Johnson spoke about the situation during an MSNBC segment. “This is a school that didn’t admit women or minority students until 1971, 1972….they want UVA to be the old Southern school that it used to be.”
