The federal government has delved into a movement condemning diversity, equity, and inclusion measures, spearheaded by President Donald Trump. The Department of Education firmly opposed DEI programs, claiming they exclude white and Asian American students. This supposedly race-exclusionary basis has launched investigations into over 50 institutions and their dismantling of DEI programs—one of which is the University of Virginia.
Even during these investigations, UVA took action to comply with the federal government’s executive actions to remove DEI programs. Specifically, on March 7th, the Board of Visitors passed a resolution citing President Trump’s executive order signed in January, entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” Within this resolution were demands to dissolve the University’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships to fully abide by federal regulations. Working with the BOV, Ryan stated full compliance within thirty days, but the Department of Justice was steadfast in launching further investigations.
On April 28th, 2025, Harmeet Dhillon and Gregory Brown, two UVA alumni, notified the university that there was a lack of compliance. Their demands followed, including that the institution produce more materials—including demands that exceeded the scope of the prior March 7th resolution. These materials included video recordings of BOV sessions—both open and closed—detailed certifications of any positions with DEI responsibilities and whether those staffers were still connected to UVA, and reports on the work done in compliance with the March 7th resolution. In response to this notice, the BOV met and began organizing yet another resolution and rescinded prior support networks of racial equity initiatives. However, the DOJ continued to pressure the administration and further demanded Ryan’s resignation. Specifically, in private communications between the Trump administration and UVA officials, the administration warned that federal funding could be revoked unless Ryan stepped down.
Although this came as a shock to some, others deemed it necessary for the growth of the university. Amidst the strict demands and the lack of leniency with the Department of Justice’s investigation, Ryan grew worried about departmental funding and the continuation of UVA’s educational trajectory in the next year.
Ryan concluded that resigning would be in everyone’s best interest. He announced his decision in late June, citing that resigning was not him giving up, but it was him attempting to prevent adverse reactions from the DOJ—in which hundreds of employees could lose their jobs, cutting-edge researchers could lose their funding, and hundreds of students could lose financial aid or experience trouble with visa withholding.
Although there have been mixed opinions regarding the situation surrounding Ryan’s resignation, Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education—which represents university presidents—recognized the federal government’s heightened involvement in educational institutions as problematic and noted the overstepping done by the Trump administration in using “thuggery instead of rational discourse.”
As universities around the nation—from public state schools to elitist Ivy League institutions—grapple with the administration’s imposition on education, the pressure on UVA serves as a blueprint of the government’s strict policies to dismantle DEI among educational facilities.