Merve Aydogan
27 June 2025•Update: 27 June 2025
HAMILTON, Canada
The president of the University of Virginia, James E. Ryan, has resigned after the Trump administration demanded he step down to settle a civil rights investigation, according to a media report on Friday.
According to a report by the New York Times, the US Justice Department warned the university's board that the school could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding unless Ryan were removed.
The investigation focused on the university's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, which university officials said were violating civil rights laws.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report stated that Ryan, who had planned to leave at the end of the next academic year, submitted his resignation early, "with deep sadness."
The report noted that his resignation will take effect no later than Aug. 15, 2025.
Earlier on Thursday, the same newspaper reported that the Justice Department wrote to the university's board on June 17, stating that its patience was "wearing thin" and that race-based practices were "widespread" at the school.
The report further stated that some board members, including those appointed by Virginia’s Republican governor, had been in contact with federal officials and were told that removing Ryan was the only way to resolve the issue.
