On Friday, the president of the University of Virginia resigned under intense pressure from the Trump administration, as part of an ongoing process to enforce U.S. civil rights laws, and sweep away decades of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies and antisemitism at the institution of higher education.
The enforcement here is under the auspices of the Trump administration’s DOJ Civil Rights division, headed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon whose team’s yeoman’s work since President Trump returned to office has been focused on cleaning things up where some of Americans’ most cherished rights are concerned. Earlier this week, I wrote about their work on setting aright the nation’s badly mismanaged voter rolls.
READ MORE: DOJ’s Dhillon Has the Perfect Answer for Anyone Who Fights Cleaning up Voter Rolls, and ‘Fraud Is Rare’
On Thursday morning, there were reports that the DOJ was quietly seeking to push President James E. Ryan out as the head of UVA:
The Trump administration has privately urged the University of Virginia to remove its president to help resolve a Justice Department probe into the institution’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to a report.
The Justice Department has argued that the university’s president, James E. Ryan, has not dismantled its diversity, equity and inclusion programs and misrepresented the steps taken to eliminate them, amid the administration’s efforts to root out DEI in higher education, The New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The report continued:
The federal government’s moves targeting higher education include pulling billions of dollars from elite universities such as Harvard, which has been the subject of investigations by at least six different federal agencies over issues such as DEI initiatives, admissions practices and alleged antisemitism on campus.
But this would be the first time the administration has pressured a university to remove its president.
Now, apparently, that’s exactly what’s happened:
The Trump administration on Friday secured perhaps the most significant victory in its pressure campaign on higher education, forcing the resignation of the University of Virginia’s president, James E. Ryan, over the college’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
The extraordinary wielding of federal power to oust the 58-year-old college president showed the unusual lengths the administration would go to pursue President Trump’s political agenda and shift the ideological tilt of academia, which he views as hostile to conservatives.
Mr. Ryan’s resignation also presents new challenges for other colleges negotiating with the government, including Harvard, whose officials have been repeatedly attacked by Mr. Trump and his allies.
Indeed. Just a week ago on Saturday, RedState wrote that Pres. Trump believes a deal with the famed school along the banks of Boston’s Charles River will soon be completed.
RELATED: Trump Teases a New Deadline, This Time on a Possible ‘Deal’ Over DEI, Admissions Policies at Harvard
UPDATED: Loudoun Is Still Insane: Boys Face Title IX Probe After Girl Allegedly Films Them in Locker Room
In the NYT piece linked above, some of the reaction of James E. Ryan’s supporters (and his own) was captured in vivid sound and color:
Mr. Ryan emerged from the [president’s] residence after a few minutes of the crowd chanting, “We want Jim,” and “Death to tyrants,” a rough version of the state motto, sic semper tyrannis.
“I appreciate you being here. I appreciate your support,” Mr. Ryan told the crowd. “And regardless of my role, I will continue to do whatever I can to support this place and continue to make it the best place it can be. And I would ask that you all do the same.”
This is a developing story.
UPDATE: Here’s a copy of the resignation letter:
President Jim Ryan’s resignation letter to @UVA community. Note that he didn’t stay and fight because the Trump Administration would have cut UVA’s federal funding drastically, cutting hundreds of jobs, financial aid for students, even visas for international students. pic.twitter.com/Bav6UATwS8
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) June 27, 2025
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