Trump forces out University of Virginia president as part of federal war on diversity
University of Virginia President James E. Ryan has agreed to resign following pressure from the Trump administration, which demanded his departure as part of a settlement to end a Justice Department investigation into the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, according to The New York Times.
Three people briefed on the matter said Ryan informed UVA’s board on Thursday that he would step down. In a letter to the board’s chair, according to the Times, Ryan said he had originally planned to leave at the end of the next academic year but decided “with deep sadness” to resign earlier “given the circumstances and today’s conversations,” The board accepted his resignation, though it remains unclear when it will take effect.
“For the leader of one of the nation’s most prominent public universities to take such an extraordinary step demonstrates President Trump’s success in harnessing the investigative powers of the federal government to accomplish his administration’s policy goals,” stated the Times report.
The Justice Department had recently warned UVA officials that its investigation had identified “widespread” use of race in admissions and other programs. A June 17 letter signed by Civil Rights Division head Harmeet K. Dhillon and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gregory W. Brown stated: “Time is running short, and the department’s patience is wearing thin.”
Both officials are UVA alumni, and Brown had previously sued the university in a private capacity.
In recent days, board members appointed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin engaged with senior Justice Department officials and were told that resolving the matter would require Ryan’s resignation.
The two Democratic Senators from Virginia, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, released a statement criticizing the development.
“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,” the statement read. “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. This is a mistake that hurts Virginia’s future.”
The post Trump forces out University of Virginia president as part of federal war on diversity appeared first on Salon.com .
Trolling, taunting, spamming, and off topic comments may be removed at the discretion of group mods. NT members that vote up their own comments, repeat comments, or continue to disrupt the conversation risk having all of their comments deleted. Please remember to quote the person(s) to whom you are replying to preserve continuity of this seed. Any use of the phrase "Trump Derangement Syndrome" or the TDS acronym in a comment will be deleted. Any use of the term "Brandon", "Traitor Joe", or any variations thereof, when referring to President Biden, will be deleted. Right wing trolls can expect to have their irrelevant questions and comments deleted.
Tags
Who is online
86 visitors
The University of Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson, who is probably weeping right now.
Also the University of Virginia is located in the city of Charlottesville , home of the infamous white supremacist march, Unite The Right.
Irony abounds.
probably just another college his defective spawn was rejected from ...
[✘]
heading back to the good old days, when the klan and the birchers both hated catholics ...
[✘]
"The Justice Department had recently warned UVA officials that its investigation had identified “widespread” use of race in admissions and other programs. A June 17 letter signed by Civil Rights Division head Harmeet K. Dhillon and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gregory W. Brown stated: “Time is running short, and the department’s patience is wearing thin.”
No, you don't get to defy the law of the land. Many universities are still doing it.
Stanford’s enrollment rate for white students in the Class of 2026 was 22%, a drop from 40% for the Class of 2016 just ten years ago.
Stanford’s Racial Engineering
Gee, has the white populating suddenly become dumb, or are universities finding ways to get around the Supreme Court and the Constitution?
... another unintentional and hilarious admission of hypocrisy.
[✘]
[✘]
Trump is way overstepping his authority. Enforcing his racism on institutes of higher learning is insane.
So why is UVA doing it?
Fear! Academics tend to need funding to exist.
So does everything else. Colleges charge tuition and fees. So do garbage collectors. Fee’s always. Tuition only if you want to become a Garbologist.
That said, colleges have been out of control on cost increases for some time. About time someone tries to reign in their spiraling tuition and fees.
[✘]
Such a misleading headline. When did Trump start running UVA? I didn't know the POUTUS had the power to hire / fire at this level.
So they are still enforcing race discrimination. Do they realize that went out in the '60's?