Under pressure from the U.S. federal government, Jim Ryan recently stepped down from his position as president of the University of Virginia (UVa). The Trump administration claimed that Ryan failed to adhere to national standards regarding the dismantlement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices. As a result of its investigation, the administration urged Ryan to resign as university president.
But “urged” is perhaps too passive a word. Senator Mark Warner revealed that the administration threatened the university with extreme cuts to research funding and withholding of financial aid and student visas. When faced with a daunting ultimatum, Jim Ryan received no support from those who traditionally would be allies.
The University of Virginia embraced Ryan’s vision, even when community interpretations clashed with those of the university president himself. Recently, many criticized Ryan’s handling of Palestine protestors, who faced harsh treatment following poorly communicated rule changes for on-Grounds protests. Ryan may well have acted inappropriately, but these criticisms, born of a demand for community justice, bear the symbol of Ryan’s dream. With regard to its conflicted past, the University of Virginia aims to be an institution of moral strength, steadfast in its values against any who would cause the school to falter, whether that be the Board of Visitors, the federal government, or even its own president, Jim Ryan.
As a public university, the University of Virginia (UVa) is primarily controlled by a politically appointed Board of Visitors. The Virginia state governor elects individuals throughout their tenure in the role, often resulting in a heavily partisan board which swings from left to right in response to the governor’s political affiliation. Glenn Youngkin, the Governor of Virginia, is a deeply conservative figure and a strong opponent of DEI. His board shares the same ire, holding Jim Ryan in contempt for perceived crimes against an institution that would otherwise have been, in their eyes, purely meritocratic. It’s difficult to say whether the board’s support would have tempered the U.S. administration’s actions, but their abject abandonment of Ryan meant he had only one real choice: step down.
For some background on the school, the University of Virginia stands in the imperfect shadow of its founder, a man whose legacy both haunts and enlivens the university Grounds. Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, helped define a strong vision for what the United States could one day be. In the same breath, his words — “all men are created equal” — expressed a deep hypocrisy, as Jefferson himself owned over 600 slaves. For many, Jefferson’s past is difficult to reconcile, as he sowed profound injustice into the founding letters of his country.
The project of Thomas Jefferson, the University of Virginia, is an animal of equal hypocrisy. The school is in perpetual struggle with itself, constantly questioning whether to honor or reject the face of its founder. For the poetically inclined, Kiki Petrosino’s “Happineſs” beautifully examines the tension that many experience in their time at UVa.
But Jim Ryan’s dream for the university “to be great and good in all we do” provided needed guidance for the community, informing students and staff on how to hold on to Thomas Jefferson’s legacy, marred as it is in many ways. Ryan’s words encouraged the UVa community not to shy away from ambition, from the “greatness” often believed to be tainted by greed. Ambition is just ambition, a morally neutral pursuit that is given value by the amount of “good” invested into its realisation.
The University of Virginia embraced Ryan’s vision, even when community interpretations clashed with those of the university president himself. Recently, many criticized Ryan’s handling of Palestine protestors, who faced harsh treatment following poorly communicated rule changes for on-Grounds protests. Ryan may well have acted inappropriately, but these criticisms, born of a demand for community justice, bear the symbol of Ryan’s dream. With regard to its conflicted past, the University of Virginia aims to be an institution of moral strength, steadfast in its values against any who would cause the school to falter, whether that be the Board of Visitors, the federal government, or even its own president, Jim Ryan.
It is conceited to believe that the University of Virginia is in any way special, whether in its ambitions, messaging, hypocrisy, or challenges. Academic institutions are under attack, and what happened at the University of Virginia will likely embolden an already brazen federal administration.
However, even as academia experiences an unprecedented assault, its entities must resolve not to surrender the good. Academia provides the world with research, technology, and innovation —great things that come from the creativity and labour of people. It is good to invest, first and foremost, in them.
That is DEI. For all its disfigurement in public perception, DEI is the morality that makes for quality universities.
Ryan wrote in his letter of resignation that he “cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save [his] own job.” For members of the University of Virginia community, these words hurt. The university has questioned whether the loss of Jim Ryan would mean the ruin of his principles.
After some time on leave, Ryan will return to the University of Virginia as a professor, reminding the school that its values will persist.
This is a small reprieve. What happened at UVa is a loss for American education, but, although universities should be wary, they should not fold their ethics. Morality sustains greatness, gives it direction and purpose. America must remember that which makes its universities good and resolve to protect that good when it is attacked. There is no way to be great if it does not .
References:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-warner-university-of-virginia-president-resignation-trump/
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/us/politics/uva-president-resigns-jim-ryan-trump.html
https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-unexpected-trump-target
https://x.com/uva/status/1940534711568191845?s=42
https://www.instagram.com/p/DLivKlYRC8U/
Image credit: photo by Katelyn Bremer
