The University of Virginia accepted an unpredicted resignation from the school’s president, James E. Ryan, after he refused to comply with demands from the Trump Administration regarding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Ryan, who became president of the institution in 2018 after serving as the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, was planning to resign from his role at the end of the next academic year. However, in a letter to the head of the university board on Thursday, Ryan reportedly wrote that “given the circumstances and today’s conversations,” he decided “with deep sadness” to resign, a person familiar with the situation told the New York Times. 

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After the Trump Administration rolled out its efforts at the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term to dismantle DEI programs across the nation, the University of Virginia was investigated by the Justice Department due to complaints of race-based treatment on campus and its failure to comply with new mandates. On July 17, the Justice Department sent a warning to the board overseeing the university, demanding Ryan’s resignation.

“Time is running short, and the department’s patience is wearing thin,” the letter said.

The letter ignited worry from some board members about the Trump administration’s threats of pulling federal funding from the university if Ryan did not resign soon. Some board members were also concerned that Ryan had not properly stripped affirmative action policies at the university after the 2023 Supreme Court decision. 

As president, Ryan was known for his efforts to make the university more diverse, but many of his conservative colleagues and school alumni deemed him as being “too woke.” 

Ann Brown, a co-chair of an advisory council on campus, said the push for Ryan to resign is not about just one person. 

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“It would be a symbolic surrender of the university’s autonomy and commitment to free inquiry that, if allowed to stand by the Board of Visitors and Virginia’s elected officials, would send a chilling message: that public universities in Virginia serve political agendas, not the commonwealth,” she told the New York Times in a text message. 

Ryan wrote in the letter that his resignation could be effective immediately or “no later than August 15, 2025,” according to the person briefed on the letter.