University professors condemn federal pressure that resulted in Ryan resignation

On Friday, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan resigned after officials in the United States Department of Justice demanded that he do so.

Today, the Virginia Conference of the American Association of University Professors sent a letter to the outgoing and incoming rectors of the Board of Visitors to condemn the federal pressure into a state institution.

“VA-AAUP also calls for an investigation on what role, if any, members of UVa’s Board of Visitors may have played in assisting the Department of Justice’s vendetta against President Ryan,” reads the letter written by Dr. Timothy Gibson, an associate professor at George Mason University and president of the group.

Gibson said the demands from the Department of Justice are violations of the independence and integrity of the University of Virginia. He said American democracy depends on academic institutions that are absent from political interference.

“The Trump administration has reportedly been unhappy with James Ryan’s support for the bedrock values of academic freedom, shared governance, diversity, and equal access,” Gibson continued.

Gibson said the role of a Board of Visitors is to protect an institution of higher education from outside influence.

“If UVa Board members indeed assisted in Ryan’s ouster, it would fit an established pattern of willful non-compliance on the part of the Governor and his Board appointees with regard to Virginia state law and the state constitution’s separation of powers,” Gibson said.

That includes an insistence by Attorney General Jason Miyares that Ken Cuccinelli can continue to serve on the Board of Visitors despite a June 9 vote in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee that failed to confirm his appointment. Gibson called that an example of lawless behavior.

The VA-AAUP letter comes on the heels of a resolution of the UVA Faculty Senate on Friday that condemns the federal pressure and asked members of the Board of Visitors to join them.

“The Faculty Senate calls on the Board of Visitors to meet with the Faculty Senate by July 14 to clarify the circumstances and negotiations that led to the resignation of President Ryan,” reads the resolution.

No such meeting has been scheduled.

Before you go: This story was first published in the June 30, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement and then posted here a day later. Want more stories like this? Find out ways you can support Town Crier Productions here.