Trump Forces the UVA President to Resign, Continuing his War on Education

Last month, University of Virginia President James E. Ryan was effectively forced to resign under direct pressure from Trump — a move that has sent shockwaves across the academic world. This wasn’t just a personnel decision. It was a political message, part of a calculated and intensifying campaign to bring American education under federal ideological control.

James Ryan’s resignation came after months of mounting pressure from the Department of Justice, which accused the university of violating federal civil rights law over its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts — even after UVA had already shut down its DEI office. Despite a lack of formal charges or findings, the administration made it clear: keep Ryan, and risk losing millions in federal funding.

What happened at UVA is just one piece of a broader story: the systematic dismantling of educational freedom in the United States.

This latest scandal fits squarely within a larger campaign by Trump to reshape America’s education system in his image. Over the past six months, we’ve seen a relentless push to crush dissent, censor curriculum, and blackmail prestigious universities into submission.

Trump’s Department of Education has threatened the accreditation of institutions like Harvard and Columbia, using vague civil rights allegations related to antisemitism and DEI policies. Accreditation is a school’s lifeline to federal funding — and the administration is now using it as a weapon.

In early 2025, Trump moved to lay off nearly half of the Department of Education’s staff, part of a broader attempt to dismantle the agency entirely. A federal judge temporarily paused the mass firings, but the Supreme court overruled that decision just yesterday. Trump doesn’t want oversight — he wants obedience, and this decision will allow him to further his ambition for total authority.

The forced resignation of a university president under threat of federal punishment should set off alarm bells for anyone who cares about academic freedom, free speech, or democratic values. Universities are supposed to be places of intellectual challenge, debate, and diversity of thought. But Trump’s version of education has no room for any of that.

A system where school leaders are removed by political decree. Where billions in public education funds are held hostage. Where students can be deported for protesting. Where universities are punished for trying to include marginalized voices.

If a president can pressure a state university to remove its leader, he can do it again — and again. And with each instance, the chill spreads. Faculty grow quieter. Students grow more afraid. Boards and administrations fall into line. Before long, education isn’t about discovery or truth — it’s about loyalty.

Harvard University is standing up to Trump by refusing to cave to federal pressure threatening its accreditation, defending its academic independence and commitment to free inquiry. We must follow Harvard’s example and have the courage to stand up—even when it’s difficult, even when we’re threatened—because if we don’t, we’ll soon wake up to a society where fear replaces freedom, and darkness and oppression take the place of integrity and truth.