Category: Leadership, Accountability Higher Ed;
Reading Time: ~4 minutes
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, 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 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, news broke that UVA President Jim Ryan stepped down 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,
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 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 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 by the Florida Board of Governors in a vote of 10-6 after his track record of promoting DEI policies 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—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 and here.
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, 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 for upcoming events, articles, and updates.
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