University of Virginia (UVA) president James E. Ryan has reportedly decided to step down from his role after pressure from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Ryan reportedly told the university’s board of visitors on Friday that he will submit his resignation after the DOJ demanded he step aside in order to resolve an investigation into UVA’s supposed illegal use of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to the New York Times (NYT) citing three sources. The university has been under investigation since April after a federal civil rights complaint alleged the university had only rebranded its DEI framework rather than entirely dismantling it as required by law. (RELATED: Florida Board Of Governors Rejects University President Who Ran DEI Giant)
Three people briefed on the matter told the NYT Ryan had decided “with deep sadness” to resign immediately “given the circumstances and today’s conversations.” In a letter to the board, Ryan stated he had already decided to resign by the end of the year, according to the outlet, but pressure from the Trump administration had moved up the timeline.
UVA, the DOJ and UVA’s Board of Visitors did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Students return to the University of Virginia for the fall semester on August 19, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Rather than comply with its legal obligations, UVA appears to have deliberately rebranded its discriminatory DEI infrastructure to evade accountability,” America First Legal alleged in a May letter to the DOJ. “Terms such as ‘Inclusive Excellence,’ ‘Advocacy and Opportunity,’ ‘Community Engagement,’ ‘Strategic Wellness and Opportunity,’ ‘Inclusion and Belonging,’ and ‘Viewpoint Diversity’—some of which were already embedded within its DEI framework—now serve as euphemistic labels across the University’s schools, departments, administrative divisions, and official communications. What is unfolding is not bureaucratic oversight but a deliberate strategy to rebrand, relabel, and obscure DEI infrastructure, preserving its unlawful substance while shielding it from legal scrutiny.”
Doubling down on President Donald Trump’s goal of ending discriminatory DEI practices, the Department of Education (ED) in February reminded schools that they are bound by civil rights laws and cannot make admission or hiring decisions or host exclusionary programs based on race. Noncompliance, ED warned, would earn schools funding cuts and a referral to the DOJ.
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