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Fox News
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
University of Virginia president resigns amid pressure from Trump admin over DEI initiatives
The University of Virginia president stepped down on Friday after facing intense pressure from the Trump administration over the institution's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. James E. Ryan, who had led the school since 2018, said he had already decided that next year would be his last and decided not to "fight the federal government in order to save my own job" until then. To make a long story short, I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in this University," Ryan wrote to the UVA community on Friday. "But I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job. To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld." "This is especially true because I had decided that next year would be my last, for reasons entirely separate from this episode—including the fact that we concluded our capital campaign and have implemented nearly all of the major initiatives in our strategic plan," he continued. Robert D. Hardie, leader of the University of Virginia's governing board, said in a statement he accepted Ryan's resignation with "profound sadness," adding that he had been an "extraordinary president," led the institution to "unprecedented heights" and that the university "has forever been changed for the better as a result of Jim's exceptional leadership." This comes after the Trump administration had privately demanded that the university remove Ryan to help resolve a Justice Department probe into the institution's DEI practices, according to The New York Times. The Justice Department argued that Ryan had failed to dismantle the school's DEI programs and misrepresented the steps taken to eliminate them, amid the administration's efforts to root out DEI in higher education, the newspaper reported. The federal government's moves targeting higher education include pulling billions of dollars from elite universities such as Harvard, which has been the subject of investigations by various agencies over issues such as DEI initiatives, admissions practices and alleged antisemitism on campus. But this was the first time the administration had pressured a university to remove its president. "That sham virtue signaling of DEI has no place in our country, and the Trump administration is working tirelessly to erase this divisive, backward, and unjust practice from our society," White House spokesman Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. "Any university president willingly breaking federal civil rights laws will be met with the full force of the federal government, and it would behoove every school in America to prioritize the civil rights of every student and end DEI once and for all," he continued. Ryan had focused on increasing diversity at the university, bringing in more first-generation students and encouraging community service. These efforts had ruffled the feathers of conservative alumni and Republican board members who argued he was "too woke" and wanted to impose his beliefs on students. Before his time as the university's president, Ryan served as the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he received recognition for his commitment to DEI programs. In a joint statement, Virginia's Democratic senators said it was "outrageous" that the administration would demand Ryan's resignation over "'culture war' traps." "Decisions about UVA's leadership belong solely to its Board of Visitors, in keeping with Virginia's well-established and respected system of higher education governance," Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said. "This is a mistake that hurts Virginia's future." Conservative groups have lambasted Ryan for what they regard as insufficient steps toward compliance with the administration's plans to eliminate DEI. America First Legal, a nonprofit launched by Trump advisor Stephen Miller, accused the University of Virginia last month of rebranding DEI programs to skirt Trump's executive orders aimed at ending diversity initiatives. "Rebranding discrimination does not make it legal, and changing a label doesn't change the substance," Megan Redshaw, an attorney at America First Legal, said in a statement at the time. "UVA's use of sanitized language and recycled job titles is a deliberate attempt to sidestep the law." The group took direct aim at Ryan, noting that he joined hundreds of other college presidents in signing a public statement condemning the administration's "overreach and political interference." On Friday, the group vowed to continue to use every available tool to root out DEI. "This week's developments make clear: public universities that accept federal funds do not have a license to violate the Constitution," Redshaw said in a statement to The Associated Press. "They do not get to impose ideological loyalty tests, enforce race and sex-based preferences, or defy lawful executive authority."
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Virginia president resigns under pressure from White House over DEI programs
The president of the University of Virginia (UVA) has resigned from his position after coming under pressure from the Trump administration over diversity efforts. James Ryan was facing political pressure from Washington to step aside in order to resolve a justice department investigation into UVA's diversity, equity and inclusion policies, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing three people briefed on the matter. Ryan had a reputation for trying to make the UVA campus more diverse and encouraging students to perform community service. 'I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job,' Ryan said in a message to the university reviewed by the Guardian. He added: 'To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld. 'This was an excruciatingly difficult decision, and I am heartbroken to be leaving this way.' Related: University of Toronto agrees to host Harvard students facing Trump visa restrictions The apparent campaign against a prominent public sector university in the US follows Donald Trump's agenda since returning to the White House to cancel programs and policies aimed at greater diversity, equity and inclusion in government, workplaces, and various establishments and organizations across American society. In parallel, the US president set about attacking and taking funds from elite private sector universities, with Harvard at the forefront, in an assault on the academic and research independence of higher education more broadly. The New York Times first reported late on Thursday that the justice department had demanded that Ryan step down as part of an agreement to settle a civil rights investigation into the school's diversity practices, as Trump further erodes the government agency's distance from the White House by enlisting its investigative powers as part of his political agenda. Ryan said in a letter, briefed to the Times by a source, that he was going to step down next year but 'given the circumstances and today's conversations' he had decided 'with deep sadness' to resign now. The justice department had reportedly told UVA that the government thought it was prioritizing race-based factors during its admissions process and other aspects of student life in a way that constitutes 'widespread practices throughout every component and facet of the institution'. Ryan's removal is another example of the Trump administration using 'thuggery instead of rational discourse,' Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, which represents university presidents, told the Associated Press. 'This is a dark day for the University of Virginia, a dark day for higher education, and it promises more of the same,' Mitchell said. 'It's clear the administration is not done and will use every tool that it can make or invent to exert its will over higher education.' In a joint statement, Virginia's Democratic senators said it was outrageous that the Trump administration would demand Ryan's resignation over ''culture war' traps.' 'This is a mistake that hurts Virginia's future,' Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said. UVA is located in Charlottesville, and found itself in the global headlines early on in the first Trump administration when, in August 2017, hundreds of far-right demonstrators wielding torches and shouting racist slogans marched on to the historic campus ahead of a so-called Unite the Right rally in the small city, crowding towards a smaller group of counterprotesters. The subsequent rally, to try to prevent the removal of Confederate statues from a park, was massive and became very violent as neo-Nazi groups gathered and attacked counterprotesters, then later a white supremacist drove a car into such a group and killed a woman. Trump sparked uproar by blaming both sides for the violence, on the one hand and, on the other, saying: 'You had people that were very fine people on both sides.' The Associated Press contributed reporting
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US university leader resigns amid pressure over diversity programs
The head of a prestigious US public university resigned Friday amid pressure over his alleged failure to curb diversity programs, the latest salvo in the Trump administration's war on academia. The Department of Justice had privately pressured the University of Virginia to fire its president to help resolve a probe of its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, according to the New York Times, which broke the story late Thursday. It had reportedly threatened to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. "I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job," UVA President Jim Ryan said in a statement Friday. Ryan wrote that risking federal funding cuts by staying in his role "would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld." Ryan took the helm of the elite University of Virginia in 2018, a year after white supremacists marched with flaming torches through its campus amid heated debate over the removal of some Confederate monuments in southern states. Ryan's efforts to make the school more diverse and increase the number of first-generation university students reportedly rankled some conservative alumni. "It is outrageous that officials in the Trump Department of Justice demanded the Commonwealth's globally recognized university remove President Ryan -- a strong leader who has served UVA honorably and moved the university forward -- over ridiculous 'culture war' traps," Virginia's two Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, said in statement. Trump is attacking US universities and other sources of what he sees as left-leaning power in the country as he moves to exert unprecedented presidential control over life in America. A top area of conflict has been "diversity, equity and inclusion," or DEI, programs that sought to correct historic demographic inequity in admissions and funding, but have been criticized as unfair to otherwise well-qualified candidates. Trump notably piled pressure on Harvard University, seeking to ban it from having foreign students, slashing more than $3 billion in grants and contracts, and challenging its tax-free status. Some observers said Friday's developments were an alarming sign for public universities, which are particularly reliant on state and federal funding. "Ryan's resignation portends a future in which all public university presidents must conform to the political views of their state's leadership or be kicked out of office," wrote Inside Higher Ed, an online publication about education. ksb/sla
CNN
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Key lines from UVA president's resignation letter
Key lines from UVA president's resignation letter University of Virginia president James Ryan announced his resignation amid pressure from the US Department of Justice to dismantle the university's diversity, equity and inclusion programs. CNN's Betsy Klein reports. 01:09 - Source: CNN Automated CNN Shorts 11 videos Key lines from UVA president's resignation letter University of Virginia president James Ryan announced his resignation amid pressure from the US Department of Justice to dismantle the university's diversity, equity and inclusion programs. CNN's Betsy Klein reports. 01:09 - Source: CNN What biohacker Bryan Johnson says is the most powerful drug in existence CNN's Boris Sanchez spoke with controversial biohacker Bryan Johnson about the impact of the medical experiments he's done and what he thinks is the most underrated aspect of health. 01:08 - Source: CNN See Jonathan Anderson's highly anticipated Dior debut Jonathan Anderson, founder of JW Anderson, made his debut as creative director of Dior. His collection, Dior menswear Spring/Summer 2026, was showcased during Paris Fashion Week. 00:45 - Source: CNN Minnesota lawmaker and husband lie in state at State Capitol Mourners and lawmakers gather to pay tribute to former Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, who were killed in a targeted attack. The couple is joined by the family's golden retriever, Gilbert, who also died after being shot during the attacks. 00:41 - Source: CNN See where the Bezos-Sanchez wedding is taking place CNN's Melissa Bell gives a tour of where Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding ceremony is in Venice, Italy. 00:56 - Source: CNN Sean 'Diddy' Combs' son escorted out of courtroom A judge removed Sean Diddy Combs' son, Justin Combs, from the courtroom and apparently asked him to change his clothing after Combs' son arrived wearing a shirt that says 'Free Sean Combs' to the defense team's final closing arguments. The controversy comes nearly two weeks after Diddy's son Christian 'King' Combs was also removed and spoken to by the judge for wearing a similar slogan in sight of the jury. 01:28 - Source: CNN Will Sean 'Diddy' Combs be convicted? Sean 'Diddy' Combs is facing five charges in a blockbuster sex trafficking trial, but will he be found guilty? CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister asks former prosecutor Elie Honig to predict the outcome. 03:05 - Source: CNN The key testimony and evidence in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial, explained CNN's Laura Coates goes over the five counts hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is charged with, the key evidence and testimony presented to jurors, and how the defense disputes the allegations. 03:13 - Source: CNN Celebrities dazzle in their wedding attire as they leave for the Bezos-Sanchez ceremony Corseting, feathers and plenty of diamonds adorn guests as they step into water taxis set to take them to the Friday evening festivities for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. 00:56 - Source: CNN Trump says he'd consider bombing Iran again In a White House briefing with reporters President Donald Trump was asked if he would consider bombing Iran's nuclear sites again if future intelligence reports offered a concerning conclusion on Iranian enrichment of uranium. 00:51 - Source: CNN USNS Harvey Milk new name revealed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the USNS Harvey Milk is being renamed to the USNS Oscar V. Peterson. During Pride Month in June, he ordered the stripping of the name Harvey Milk who was a gay rights activist and Navy veteran. 00:43 - Source: CNN
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Equities Rise Intraday as US, China Confirm Trade Deal Details; Nike Jumps
US benchmark equity indexes were higher intraday as Washington and China confirmed details of a trad
