Overview

• Ryan announced he will resign by August 15 after the Justice Department demanded his removal to resolve its civil rights inquiry into UVA’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
• The DOJ characterized DEI initiatives as potential illegal racial quotas and warned it would withhold hundreds of millions in federal research grants and student aid if UVA did not comply.
• UVA’s Board of Visitors had already voted to end its DEI office, but DOJ officials said that measure failed to satisfy their requirements.
• Republican leaders, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin, reportedly urged the administration’s action, while Democrats like Abigail Spanberger and senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine denounced it as an assault on academic freedom.
• Higher-education groups caution that using funding threats to influence university governance could erode institutional autonomy and jeopardize support for staff, researchers and international students.