Why UVA President’s Resignation Could Be a ‘Watershed Moment’
Jessica Blake and Katherine Knott | 30 June 2025 | Inside Higher Ed
Under pressure from the Trump administration, state leaders and conservative alumni, the University of Virginia’s president of nearly seven years stepped down Friday, declaring that while he was committed to the university and inclined to fight, he could not in good conscience push back just to save his job.
The Department of Justice demanded that Ryan resign in order to resolve an investigation into whether UVA sufficiently complied with President Donald Trump’s orders banning diversity, equity and inclusion. UVA dissolved its DEI office in March, though some alumni, board members and legal advocacy groups have claimed the university didn’t go far enough in rooting out DEI…