University of Virginia President Jim Ryan has resigned under pressure from the Trump administration.

University of Virginia President Jim Ryan has resigned.

US Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine called the Trump administration's claims ridiculous.

The ninth president of the University of Virginia, Ryan, who has served in the position since 2018, has resigned. Ryan shared the news in a letter to the university community on Friday.

“It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to inform you that I have submitted my resignation as president of the University of Virginia,” he wrote. “In short, I am willing to fight for what I believe in and for this university that I deeply believe in. But I cannot unilaterally decide to fight the federal government to save my own job.”

Ryan revealed that he had planned to resign at the end of the upcoming academic year for reasons unrelated to today’s announcement. Instead, he noted that his goals have largely been achieved, including raising more than $6 billion in capital through the “Honor the Future” campaign and implementing “nearly all of the major initiatives in our strategic plan.”

University of Virginia President Jim Ryan stands before the Class of 2025 during final exercises in May. Ryan announced his resignation on Friday. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

Ryan’s hasty decision to resign comes at a time when federal investigations into colleges and universities, including UVA, are intensifying. Ryan acknowledged in his resignation letter that the university would have been at risk of losing substantial funding if he had remained president.

“While there are very important policy issues at stake, I would very realistically and willingly fight for others in this community to keep my job for another year,”

He wrote. “If it had not clearly involved me personally, I might have taken a different path. But I would not have done any real and direct harm to my colleagues or our students to protect my own position.”

Ryan addresses a crowd in the Rotunda in November. He wrote on Friday that the decision to resign was an extremely difficult one. (University Communications photo)

He wrote that staying in his position and risking a reduction in federal funding “would not only be strange but would appear selfish and self-serving to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, researchers who would lose their funding, and hundreds of students who would lose their financial aid or have their visas withheld.”

Ryan, a first-generation college student, earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a law degree from UVA. Before taking the presidency at UVA, he served as dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

During his tenure at UVA, Ryan worked to open the university to more first-generation students and expand financial aid opportunities for more Virginia families.

It is reported that Jim Ryan resigned under pressure from UVA alumnus Gregory W. Brown (UVA & X).

Under Ryan’s leadership, UVA created the School of Data Science, opened the UVA Northern Virginia campus, and secured significant gifts for the Karsh Institute for Democracy and a new Performing Arts Center. The growing Emmet-Ivy Corridor took shape during his presidency.

“This morning, and with deep sadness, I accepted Jim Ryan’s resignation on behalf of the board and its members,” Board of Visitors President Robert Hardy wrote in a statement.

“Jim Ryan has been an extraordinary president of this great university. He has led our institution to unprecedented heights, always doing so with grace and humility.”

Lawmakers, UVA faculty blame Trump administration's 'overuse' for Ryan's resignation

“I know I speak for our students, alumni, faculty, and staff when I express my sincere gratitude for Jim’s tireless service to our university,”

Hardy added, “especially for the way he has led the institution with determination and great purpose, even in the face of major challenges like the pandemic. Jim’s exceptional leadership has forever changed UVA for the better.”

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