The forced resignation of James E. Ryan as president of the University of Virginia at the hands of the Trump administration marks a dangerous precedent for American higher education. The federal government’s ultimatum that Ryan step down as a condition for resolving a civil rights investigation into UVA’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs is not just governmental overreach — it is a direct threat to the independence of public universities and the principles of academic freedom.

The Trump administration, aided by a governing Board of Visitors appointed entirely by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, forced Ryan’s ouster. The move undermines the principle of state control over public universities. While it sparked outrage on campus and across Virginia, it contradicts the political philosophy held by conservatives, who advocate for “limited government” while fighting against the encroaching power of the federal government.

In June 2025, the Justice Department informed the University of Virginia that Ryan’s resignation was a prerequisite for resolving its civil rights investigation. The department had threatened to block all federal funds to the second-oldest public university in the country if Ryan remained in office.

The New York Times first reported Ryan’s resignation, citing Justice Department claims that the institution had rebranded its DEI efforts instead of eliminating them. If Ryan chose to challenge the firing, he could have easily tapped into a UVA-trained legal community that would have backed him. He would also have the support of the network of alumni and students from the state’s flagship institution, who share a commitment to academic freedom.

Ultimately, Ryan chose the selfless route. In a letter to the university community, Ryan wrote: “To make a long story short, I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in the University. 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.”

Armand Alacbay, senior vice president of strategy at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a nonprofit group focused on higher education governance, said an institution’s leadership is the domain of its governing board. The resignation is a product, he said, of unprecedented “governmental intrusion.”

This becomes a major problem because the federal government’s actions in this case are unprecedented. Legal experts struggle to recall a time when the federal government demanded a university board fire its president over policy disagreements.

Academic freedom is the cornerstone of American higher education. It allows faculty, students and administrators to pursue knowledge, debate ideas, and challenge prevailing norms without fear of political retribution.

The message from the Trump administration is loud and clear: conform to a political agenda that has redefined the true meaning and spirit of diversity, equity and inclusion, or face the severe consequences. The administration is willing to use federal funding and direct interventions in university leadership as weapons to enforce ideological conformity.

If this type of overreach continues, the price will be paid not just by university presidents but by students, faculty and society as a whole.

David W. Marshall is an author and the founder of the faith-based organization TRB (The Reconciled Body).