The president of the University of Virginia, facing heavy pressure from conservative critics and the Trump administration over the school's diversity, equity and inclusion practices , announced Friday that he was resigning rather than "fight the federal government."
The departure of James Ryan, who had led the school since 2018, represents a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration's effort to reshape higher education . Doing it at a public university marks a new frontier in a campaign that has almost exclusively targeted Ivy League schools . It also widens the rationale behind the government's aggressive tactics, focusing on DEI rather than alleged tolerance of antisemitism.
Ryan had faced conservative criticism that he failed to heed federal orders to eliminate DEI policies , and his removal was pushed for by the Justice Department as it investigated the school, according to a person who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.
Ryan referenced the Trump administration pressure in a statement to the university community Friday in which he said he had submitted his resignation with a "very heavy heart."
"To make a long story short, I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in this University," he said. "But I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my job."