University of Virginia President James Ryan has resigned after the Trump administration demanded he step down amid a Justice Department investigation into whether he and the school had complied with President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Democrats blasted the Trump administration’s role as “outrageous” and “shameful,” while Republicans were mostly silent, except for John Reid, the party’s candidate for lieutenant governor, who said of Ryan: “Good riddance to him and DEI.”
Here’s Ryan’s resignation letter and a collection of statements issued by Virginia politicians in response. As more arrive, we’ll update this list:
Ryan: ‘I could not in good conscience cause real and direct harm to my colleagues and our students in order to preserve my own position’
I am writing, with a very heavy heart, to let you know that I have submitted my resignation as President of the University of Virginia.
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. 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. This is especially true because I had decided that next year would be my last, 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.
While there are very important principles at play here, I would at a very practical level be fighting to keep my job for one more year while knowingly and willingly sacrificing others in this community. If this were not so distinctly tied to me personally, I may have pursued a different path. But I could not in good conscience cause real and direct harm to my colleagues and our students in order to preserve my own position.
It has been an honor to be your President. Thanks for the outpouring of support over the last few days and weeks. My deepest gratitude to all of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni, who make this University and this community both great and good. This was an excruciatingly difficult decision, and I am heartbroken to be leaving this way.
Gov. Youngkin: ‘I thank President Ryan for his service’
“I thank President Ryan for his service and his hard work on behalf of the University of Virginia. The Board of Visitors has my complete confidence as they swiftly appoint a strong interim steward, and undertake the national search for a transformational leader that can take Mr. Jefferson’s university into the next decade and beyond.”
— Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R)
Sens. Warner and Kaine: ‘Outrageous’
“Virginia’s economy and prosperity depend on the strength and integrity of our higher education system. It is outrageous that officials in the Trump Department of Justice demanded the Commonwealth’s globally recognized university remove President Ryan — a strong leader who has served UVA honorably and moved the university forward — over ridiculous ‘culture war’ traps. Decisions about UVA’s leadership belong solely to its Board of Visitors, in keeping with Virginia’s well-established and respected system of higher education governance. This is a mistake that hurts Virginia’s future.”
— Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (D)
Candidates for governor
Spanberger: ‘A clear infringement upon academic freedom’
“The resignation of President Jim Ryan is a loss for the University of Virginia and the Commonwealth. That the president of a top-ranked, thriving public university would be pressured to resign by the Department of Justice — in order to avoid further harm and harassment from the Trump Administration — is a clear infringement upon academic freedom and should concern every Virginian and American.
“As an alumna of the University of Virginia, I am deeply saddened to see our Governor, his Administration, and so many members of the Board of Visitors remain silent in the face of these attacks on the integrity and independence of the University of Virginia.
“As Governor, I will take decisive steps to ensure that all of our Commonwealth’s Boards of Visitors are composed of individuals committed to the mission of serving and strengthening our public colleges and universities. I will work to restore a standard of leadership that puts academic excellence, Virginia’s students, and the strength of Virginia’s public colleges and universities ahead of any political agenda.”
— Abigail Spanberger, Democratic candidate for governor
Earle-Sears: No statement
Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate for governor, has not issued a statement or responded to a request for comment.
Candidates for lieutenant governor
Hashmi: ‘Should alarm every Virginian’
“The resignation of President Jim Ryan is a deeply troubling escalation in the partisan campaign against higher education — and it should alarm every Virginian who believes in academic freedom and institutional integrity.
“Donald Trump’s sweeping efforts against higher education have opened the floodgates for political interference in our colleges and universities. President Ryan is a widely respected leader who has expanded access, supported first-generation students, and defended the university’s core values. He was pushed out not because of performance, but because of politics.
“As an immigrant and first-generation American, I know how transformative higher education can be. And as an educator myself, I believe Virginia’s universities should remain public institutions dedicated to serving the people of the Commonwealth with excellence and independence — not as playgrounds for partisan agendas. As Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee and Virginia’s next Lieutenant Governor, I will continue fighting to protect opportunity and academic freedom across every corner of our Commonwealth.”
— Ghazala Hashmi, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor
Reid: ‘Good riddance’
Good riddance to him and DEI.
— John Reid, Republican candidate for lieutenant governor
Candidates for attorney general
Jones: ‘Shameful’
“The Trump Administration’s shameful and extreme political attacks against the University of Virginia undermine the rule of law, centuries of tradition, and all that UVA contributes to our Commonwealth.
“Let’s be clear: Donald Trump is trying to force his MAGA agenda onto Virginia. We need an Attorney General who will stand up for Virginians first and faithfully uphold equal protection under the law — not Jason Miyares, who has made it clear he answers to Trump, not the people of Virginia.
“The Attorney General is the people’s lawyer — responsible for defending our public institutions, upholding the Constitution, and ensuring no one is above the law, including Donald Trump.”
— Jay Jones, Democratic candidate for attorney general
Miyares: No statement
Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, is seeking reelection. A spokesman advised that Miyares was unlikely to say anything because his office services as counsel to the University of Virginia.
Other political figures
Senate Democrats: State boards should ‘resist’ Trump administration
“Virginia’s public higher education institutions are the envy of higher education systems across the United States of America, which is precisely why the Trump Administration seeks to micromanage them. Our universities have built reputations for academic excellence, innovative research, and preparing leaders who contribute to our Commonwealth and nation including dozens for former Supreme Court Justices, U.S. Senators, Congressmen, U.S. Attorney’s General, Governors, and other notable Americans.
“The Virginia Senate stands strongly in support of President Ryan and the presidents of all our public universities. We recognize their commitment to maintaining the academic integrity and educational mission that have made Virginia’s institutions world-class centers of learning.
“We call upon all Boards of Visitors across our 14 public colleges and universities to resist any efforts by the Trump Administration to dictate how Virginia runs its own taxpayer funded schools. Our institutions of higher learning must remain focused on their educational mission, free from political interference that undermines their autonomy and academic freedom.
“The Senate of Virginia will be watching the Trump Administration’s actions closely over the coming months. We will carefully monitor and consider any Board’s reaction to federal interference in our state’s higher education governance as we evaluate the more than 60 pending nominations to Boards of Visitors across Virginia’s public colleges and universities, including four at the University of Virginia, the additional vacancy created by Ken Cuccinelli’s rejection, the four vacancies and George Mason University and six additional pending nominations on their sixteen member boards.
“Virginia has a proud tradition of educational excellence that spans centuries. We will not allow political pressure from Washington to compromise the integrity of our institutions or the leaders who have dedicated their careers to advancing higher education in the Commonwealth.”
— Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus
McClellan: “Bullying”
“Thomas Jefferson founded UVA to engage in intellectual curiosity without fear of retaliation. The bullying of his beloved university by Trump and his Justice Department is exactly the kind of government overreach he feared.
“University leaders should be accountable to the university community and its governing bodies, not subject to political pressure from the President.”
— Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond (4th District)
Scott: ‘An attack on due process’
“The University of Virginia (UVa) has consistently been recognized as one of the nation’s premier public universities because of its commitment to academic excellence. However, today’s decision of UVa President James E. Ryan to resign because of the Trump Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) threat to withhold federal funds is an attack on due process, the independence and integrity of ‘academic freedom’ in higher education, and the UVa’s effort to address its own history.
“Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the DOJ is not authorized to impose sanctions until it has concluded that the university violated the law, and it would not redress the abuse. The DOJ’s demand that Ryan step down was both premature and a perversion of the civil rights resolution practice.
“During Trump’s first administration, UVa was the scene of white supremacists’ Unite the Right march where white supremacists’ chanted ‘you will not replace us, Jews will not replace us.’ Then-President Trump’s response to the violence and the death of Heather Heyer was that there were ‘very fine people on both sides.’
“As a result, President Ryan was brought to UVa in 2018 to improve the university’s racial climate, learning environment, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts. Under President Ryan’s tenure, UVa has been recognized for its commitment to free speech, financial aid among public universities for the fourth year in a row, and this year, 10,000 first-generation students applied to UVa. All indications are that President Ryan was very popular among the academicians and students alike.
“As a country, we are all worse off because of the Trump Administration’s crusade against diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, while there has been no crusade against racial discrimination. Ryan’s resignation, therefore, signals to the higher education community that diversity as a positive value is now diminished and that segregation is to be celebrated. This situation is made worse because of the willingness of universities and businesses to quickly capitulate.”
— Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News (3rd District)