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CounterCurrent:
Presidents in the Hot Seat
The past six months have made one thing clear: the role of college president is no longer safe from political or public accountability
CounterCurrent is the National Association of Scholars’ weekly newsletter, bringing you the most significant issues in academia and our responses to them.
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Category: Leadership, Accountability Higher Ed;
Reading Time: ~4 minutes
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The past six months have made one thing clear: the role of college president is no longer safe from political or public accountability. Since the start of President Trump’s second term, a series of Executive Orders (EOs) and higher education reforms have put colleges and universities—and their leadership—under intense scrutiny. Institutions slow to comply, particularly with mandates to dismantle “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programs, are finding themselves in the federal crosshairs.
The result? A wave of resignations, stalled appointments, and mounting pressure on presidents and administrators to abandon progressive orthodoxies in favor of transparency, viewpoint diversity, and legal compliance. The recent shake-up at the University of Virginia (UVA) may be only the beginning.
Last week ([link removed]) , I wrote about UVA and its administrators’ apparent failure to comply with the EO to dismantle DEI on campus. To summarize, the UVA Board’s March and April Resolutions—which sought to discard DEI and increase viewpoint diversity—were “stonewalled” by administrators. The school is under federal investigation ([link removed]) as well for failure to comply with anti-DEI directives. Now, different news out of UVA has made the top of the news cycle.
On Thursday evening ([link removed]) , news broke that UVA President Jim Ryan stepped down ([link removed]) after nearly seven years as president, sparking a firestorm of debate over the circumstances.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) apparently demanded Ryan’s resignation after UVA failed to entirely eliminate DEI on campus. This coincided with the DOJ’s investigation into the school. While schools like Columbia and Harvard are being publicly investigated, UVA has been quietly scrutinized by the DOJ for months. According to a New York Times article ([link removed]) ,
The Trump administration has privately demanded that the University of Virginia oust its president to help resolve a Justice Department investigation into the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, according to three people briefed on the matter.
While some at UVA rejoiced, others protested ([link removed]) last Friday, accusing the government of overreach. Lest we not forget that as a public institution of higher education, UVA is beholden to the law in order to receive federal funding. Such violation of anti-DEI directives by failure to comply or by hiding DEI under different names on campus put UVA in the Trump administration's direct line of fire.
What happens next at UVA remains to be seen. While some ([link removed]) thought Ryan’s resignation was necessary to “protect the university’s core values of depoliticization and intellectual diversity,” others in the community have said “they will not go quietly.”
In light of recent scrutiny directed at institutions like UVA, Columbia, and others now in the Trump administration’s crosshairs, a major question is circulating: Are more college and university presidents being positioned to resign? It seems increasingly likely. Since January, the administration’s heightened focus on higher education—particularly its push to confront anti-Semitism and dismantle DEI bureaucracies—has placed mounting pressure on campus leadership. With job instability growing and public demands intensifying, more resignations—or even forced removals—may well be on the horizon. The same trend could extend to other top administrators as well.
Candidates looking to fill administrative vacancies may also run into more snags than in previous years. For instance, take Santa Ono, whose appointment as president of the University of Florida (UF) was blocked ([link removed]) by the Florida Board of Governors in a vote of 10-6 after his track record of promoting DEI policies ([link removed]) came to light. Ono’s effort to walk back his prior embrace of DEI and progressive campus dogmas failed to convince Florida’s political leadership that he was the right choice for the job at UF. Currently, UF is still on the hunt for a president, with Dr. Kent Fuchs filling the role as interim president. The school is also looking for five new deans ([link removed]) —however, this search is
somewhat predicated on finding a new president first.
The rapidly changing higher education landscape is paving the way for much needed reforms. Ridding classrooms of DEI, reestablishing gender distinctions under Title IX protections, and removing animus-fueled ideology from curricula—to name a few—have leveled the ground for higher education to rebuild its commitment to providing an excellent education and educating virtuous citizens. Higher ed’s growing pains, though unpleasant, are necessary—including the reshaping of leadership at major institutions.
Until next week.
Kali Jerrard
Communications Associate
National Association of Scholars
P.S. New positions have opened at Cleveland State University as part of its new Center for Civics, you can review the jobs by clicking here ([link removed]) and here ([link removed]) .
P.P.S. Ahead of Friday, the National Association of Scholars (NAS) wishes you and your loved ones a Happy 4th of July! Be sure to follow Minding the Campus’s American Revolution Series ([link removed]) , which—in preparation for America’s 250th anniversary next year—is tracing the key events that led to our independence. And keep an eye on the NAS website ([link removed]) for upcoming events, articles, and updates.
Read the Article ([link removed])
For more on the leadership, accountability, and higher ed:
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June 30, 2025
** Ohio Crushes Woke Profs’ Revolt, Signs Law to Depoliticize Colleges and End DEI ([link removed])
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David Randall
Ohio SB 1, which will do an extraordinary amount to depoliticize Ohio’s public higher education system, strengthen intellectual diversity, and restore its accountability to Ohio policymakers and citizens, well and truly will become law.
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June 25, 2025
** Reconciling the House and Senate Higher Ed Plans ([link removed])
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Andrew Gillen
The reconciliation bill is shaping up to be the boldest legislative change in higher education in decades. But it is still in an early stage, with the House having passed its version, and the Senate hoping to do so soon.
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April 22, 2024
** Report: The Illusion of Institutional Neutrality ([link removed])
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Peter W. Wood
College presidents often come under the spotlight for their political pronouncements or lack thereof. Since college presidents must contend with difficult issues of morality, principle, and politics as leaders of higher education institutions, what is the best way to address the problems that require action?
** About the NAS
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The National Association of Scholars, founded in 1987, emboldens reasoned scholarship and propels civil debate. We’re the leading organization of scholars and citizens committed to higher education as the catalyst of American freedom.
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