UVA president resigns under pressure from Trump administration
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President of the University of Virginia James E. Ryan in 2019. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
The president of the University of Virginia, James Ryan, has resigned under pressure from the Trump administration, two people familiar with the matter said.
Why it matters: Ryan's resignation, confirmed by his resignation letter, comes after the Justice Department became convinced that Ryan was negotiating in "bad faith" on ending the school's DEI policies.
What he's saying: "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," Ryan said in the letter the university emailed to Axios on Friday.
- "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."
The New York Times reported his decision earlier Friday.
Zoom out: The Trump administration is at war with some of America's most prestigious institutions of higher learning.
- Last month President Trump suspended the entry of international students to attend Harvard University through an executive order.
- In response, Harvard University has sued to continue to enroll international foreign students, with a federal judge blocking Trump's order earlier this month.
- The Ivy League university has also filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the freezing of $2.2 billion in federal funds designated for it.
Zoom in: Ryan had intended to stay as president of the university through the next academic year "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," he said.
- But he informed the university board of visitors that he now plans to resign this August.
University rector Robert Hardie accepted Ryan's resignation on behalf of its board, calling him "an extraordinary president" in a statement.
- "He has led our institution to unprecedented heights, always doing so with grace and humility," Hardie said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details from Ryan's resignation letter and an added statement.
