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Federal overreach will not end with President Ryan
Throughout the last months, the Department of Justice has pressured University President Jim Ryan to step down, alleging that the University had violated a federal order to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs. This was an unprecedented and invasive ultimatum — lose vital federal funding for the University, or resign. Yesterday, Ryan submitted his resignation to the Board of Visitors, putting an end to his tenure of seven years and choosing to put the longevity of the institution and the security of its students above his own job. As the six students who make up this Editorial Board, we mourn the resignation of an iconic University leader and condemn the unprecedented circumstances which forced him into it.
‘This is not what students want’: Students react to Ryan’s resignation
Following University President Jim Ryan’s resignation from his position Friday, The Cavalier Daily asked students to share their reactions via an online form. Of the 121 responses received, all but one student expressed concern about Ryan’s resignation and what it meant for the University, its students and the state of higher education in the United States. “My immediate reaction was shock, then anger, then grief,” third-year College student Alex Minter wrote. “Shock that an administration claiming it supports academic freedom has gone so far into doing the opposite, anger that a popular, if flawed, president is leaving and grief over what will come next.”
UVA President’s Resignation Reflects a New Front in Trump’s Bid to Remake Higher Education
The Trump administration is ramping up its battle against DEI practices at universities—and the University of Virginia’s president was the first big casualty. UVA President James E. Ryan told the school community Friday that he had resigned amid tension with the Trump administration. Ryan had come under scrutiny over what the Justice Department said was his refusal to dismantle the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs, according to a person familiar with the matter. . . . The Trump administration’s pressure on UVA reflects a broadening of the government campaign to remake higher education, moving beyond accusations of antisemitism into a wider attack on DEI.
University of Virginia president, pressured over DEI, resigns rather than ‘fight federal government’
The president of the University of Virginia, facing heavy pressure from conservative critics and the Trump administration over the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, announced Friday that he was resigning rather than “fight the federal government.” The departure of James Ryan, who had led the school since 2018, represents a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s effort to reshape higher education. Doing it at a public university marks a new frontier in a campaign that has almost exclusively targeted Ivy League schools.
Atkins: Teach all history? Thanks to Youngkin, that's exactly what Virginia is doing
In recent weeks, I’ve seen some commentators writing that the governor’s veto of a bill — which would have allowed African American history electives to be substituted for basic World History or World Geography — goes against his campaign promises to “teach all history, the good and the bad.” I disagree. As a lifelong educator, former school division superintendent in Virginia and a member of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s cabinet charged with ensuring all Virginians have the opportunity to succeed, I witnessed firsthand how this promise is being realized.
Coggin: To tackle sea level rise, Hampton Roads needs NOAA
Since Hampton Roads was settled, it has fought a tug-of-war with its surrounding waters. Nowhere is this more evident than at Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base. Naval Station Norfolk, home to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, supports 75 ships and 134 aircraft including five of the Navy’s 12 aircraft carriers. Sea level rise threatens its operational readiness. ... Yet, President Donald Trump’s White House proposes to cut NOAA’s fiscal year 2026 budget by 25%, severing a lifeline of weather and climate data and services for Hampton Roads. Now, NOAA’s fate is in the hands of Congress as it considers the Trump-endorsed “big, beautiful” budget bill.
Spanberger, other Democrats vying for office draw hundreds at Williamsburg campaign stop
The Democratic nominees for statewide office stopped near Williamsburg on Saturday as part of an eight-day, 40-stop campaign tour of Virginia. Abigail Spanberger, candidate for governor; state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, who is vying to be the commonwealth’s next lieutenant governor; and Jerrauld “Jay” Jones, who is running for attorney general; were joined by Jessica Anderson, who is seeking to represent Virginia’s House of Delegates District 71. The event, hosted by the Historic Triangle Democrats at Lafayette High School in James City County, drew approximately 400 attendees.
Yancey: Trump administration forces out the UVa president; 7 things to know (or wonder about)
The president of Virginia’s flagship university is leaving, pushed out by the Trump administration. The actual facts available are few. Let’s review what little we do know, then focus on what we don’t know. The background: President Donald Trump came into office vowing to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and started on day one by signing the first in a series of executive orders. Over the coming weeks, multiple colleges in Virginia moved to eliminate their DEI offices.
In Chesterfield, ICE does its job – stoking fear for political gain
Whatcha gonna do? The bad boys showed up at the Chesterfield County courthouse last week as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) descended on RVA, snatching more than a dozen immigrants as they made their way out of General District Court. It just wasn’t altogether clear who the villains were — the federal agents, faces covered, refusing to identify themselves or their purpose, or the unsuspecting “illegals” who showed up to court voluntarily for misdemeanors and mostly minor criminal offenses.
In Charles City County, a data center and financial strain upset residents
For Charles City County, which has had to borrow money to pay its bills, the promise of a financial windfall has butted up against citizens’ fervent opposition to a proposed data center — and for many, a deepened lack of trust in government. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided to delay voting on the request from Kansas-based developer Diode Ventures to let it use 515 acres of land zoned for agriculture in the northwestern corner of the county. But feelings in the county, 20 miles east of Richmond, are running high, and not just because of the data center.