‘Saddened, disappointed and terrified’
We asked alumni for their reactions to President Ryan’s departure. The overwhelming majority were upset; 1 in 6 was pleased to see him go.
A few days after UVA President Jim Ryan (Law class of ’92) announced his resignation, the Alumni Association opened a Vox Alumni survey portal with an open prompt: “The UVA Alumni Association is an alumni-led 501(c)(3) organization that operates independently and as a separate entity from the University of Virginia… [W]e are gathering reactions to President Ryan’s departure and will be sharing this feedback with university leadership. Please use the space below to share any thoughts or reactions you have.”
It was an echo of an earlier time. After then-President Teresa Sullivan announced her resignation in 2012, the association gathered alumni sentiment—the volume of which crashed its email servers—and presented a printed copy to the Board of Visitors. Sullivan was ultimately reinstated.
In July, Alumni Association President Lily West (Darden class of ’12) similarly offered university leadership the reactions to President Ryan’s June 27 resignation.
The response rate was overwhelming this time around, too. In just the first 24 hours, more than 1,300 responses poured in; over the next week, they continued steadily. The feedback link was sent via email and shared on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X. Additionally, some alumni groups shared it with their respective membership bases.
Because of production deadlines, this article is based on the ~1,900 responses that were received from July 1–14. The survey was not designed for statistical significance; the results are not necessarily representative.
About 83 percent of respondents were alumni, 23 percent were parents, 5 percent were faculty/staff, 4 percent were friends, and 6 percent identified their relationship with the university as “other.” Many respondents overlapped two or more categories.
For those whose demographic information has been shared with the university—about 1,700 of the respondents—52 percent were women and 48 percent were men. Responses were spread across class years, with the most representing classes in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
Respondents across the board were overwhelmingly negative about Ryan’s resignation and the events that preceded it. Eighty-three percent of alumni who responded were upset by or concerned about the situation; 16 percent were glad to see Ryan go. One percent had unanswered questions or did not express an opinion. About 1 percent were generally pleased with the outcome but unhappy about some aspect of the situation. (Responses were counted in every category they represented and therefore add up to more than 100 percent.)
While the overwhelming majority of every class cohort was upset about Ryan’s resignation, the alumni who graduated after 2000 were the most unhappy. More than 90 percent of respondents in the aughts, ’10s and ’20s had a negative reaction. That compares to the 71 percent of respondents who graduated in the 1960s who expressed a negative reaction.
Ninety-three percent of alumni women were unhappy with the events, along with three-quarters of alumni men.
Because of the open-ended prompt, many responses hit on several themes. Some common ones emerged: Among alumni respondents, 53 percent expressed support for Ryan and sadness at the situation; 51 percent expressed concern with political influence and federal overreach; and 38 percent were critical of the Board of Visitors and/or Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, whose appointments made up the majority on the board at the time and all of it now.
Seven percent of alumni respondents said they would be hesitant to donate to the university now; 4 percent said they felt ashamed to be an alum.
The vast majority of the 16 percent of alumni who were supportive of Ryan’s resignation were also critical of diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Meanwhile another 16 percent of alumni comments were expressly supportive of DEI.
Similar to alumni respondents, other groups who responded to the prompt were also overwhelmingly negative about Ryan’s resignation. Eighty-four percent of all respondents—including 81 percent of parents, 94 percent of faculty/staff and 84 percent of friends—expressed displeasure.
One thing both sides did agree on: Thomas Jefferson would have seen it as they do. For those in the minority, Ryan’s resignation represented a potential return to Jeffersonian ideals for the university. For those in the majority, the federal assault on higher education goes against what Jefferson envisioned for the school and the country. Damian Capozzola (Law class of ’96) wrote, in part, “Among the many quotes to live by from Thomas Jefferson, one of my favorites is: ‘In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.’ Against this measure, UVA has failed.”
Here are some of the hundreds of responses from alumni, some edited for clarity and length:
“It is a sad day when a university that was founded by America’s founding father who arguably best understood the threat that tyranny and government overreach posed would capitulate in such a craven manner to a demand predicated on a specious understanding of the law. As someone who defended the civil rights of all Americans for over a decade in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, I am particularly ashamed that the laws that were enacted to put an end to centuries of flagrant racial discrimination are now being used to demand it. The university is at its best when the student body is sourced from all of the great wells of talent across Virginia and our country, which is what diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives made possible.”
“President Jim Ryan has worked tirelessly to create a safe and welcoming university for every student. He leads with kindness, grace and poise. Forcing him out of his position by threatening research funding and student visas is completely unacceptable. DEI initiatives are imperative in creating a diverse and welcoming university community and allow anyone to pursue higher education. It’s unfortunate to see President Jim Ryan leave in this way and sets a dangerous precedent where a university president seeks the approval of a presidential administration rather than the university community of alumni, staff, and most importantly, its students.”
“All President Ryan’s DEI programs did were increase the cost of tuition with all the hires. Plus, it duplicated what a human resources department does. I agree with President Trump that DEI is simply a form of reverse discrimination. Not sure what the ‘equity’ portion of DEI was meant to be. Clearly, all U.S. citizens share equally in huge investments the U.S. has made in its infrastructure. Please have UVA’s next president stop the social engineering and educate!”
“As both a parent and an alum, I was heartbroken to hear that Jim Ryan was put in this position where he was forced to resign. His engagement with and commitment to students, faculty and the community, as well as his commitment to service and the moral compass with which he led, all made me proud to have him helm our university. He was the Tony Bennett of university presidents. He has my deepest respect and appreciation.”
“I am deeply saddened, disappointed and terrified by President Ryan’s resignation and the board’s acceptance thereof. President Ryan has been a great leader whose vision has brought wealth to both the institution’s coffers and its faculty and student body. Because of a misguided, unnuanced policy of this administration, UVA has lost a principled president and, I would argue, its institutional integrity. Virginia has been a bastion of moderate-conservative learning, founded on Jeffersonian principles. By capitulating to unconscionable bullying and malign micromanagement, UVA has not only undermined its long, revered history of academic freedom, it has jeopardized the independence of higher education in this country. To call this a tragedy would be an understatement.”
“I really liked President Ryan. The circumstances surrounding his departure are quite unfortunate. I really hope the university’s next leader is cut from the same cloth as Mr. Ryan. Balancing the interests of such a diverse range of stakeholders (especially in this political moment) is not an easy task—but Mr. Ryan did it with grace, humility, and careful attention to the needs of this community. His leadership deserves to be emulated, and his legacy should be commended.”
“I’ve not heard a single person suggest or argue or say that Ryan did NOT do the things he’s been accused of doing. The bottom line is, at a public university, you’re beholden to policy as decided upon by elected politicians. Jim Ryan failed to comply with those policies. As a taxpayer, parent and alum, I want university leadership accountable to laws, regulations and policies of elected officials. I do NOT want someone who thinks they know better, or their principles are more noble, or who simply ignores said laws and policies. Time to go.”
“In addition to reinstating President Ryan, we need to shift systems, specifically, the Board of Visitors, who is appointed, and how. The board should represent all students and alumni, not just the few with power and financial resources, which do not represent the vast majority of current students and recent alumni. I am extremely frightened by the direction of the university and urge that the board internally opt to allow for voting student and faculty representation in addition to more democratic selection to ensure that it can properly protect all university community members/the broader Charlottesville community. Better board governance could allow us to retain programs that we need to support all students (aka DEI). Now is the time to stand up to fascism, not give in. We must be brave to stand up for DEI, being good and great, prepare the next round of citizens ready to fight for democracy, as well as make sure our governing bodies within the university are representative.”
“While I may not agree with many of the DEI initiatives implemented by American academia, buckling to political bullying was not my preferred way for UVA to address the issues presented. Instead, the BOV might have better preserved the academic independence of the university by asserting its authority over the issues and working with the Ryan administration to address legitimate concerns of the academic community without interference from administrations in Washington and Richmond.”
“Very sad President Ryan felt he had to resign. Admire his class act and values and decency. What some call political correctness, many of us consider to be kindness and respect for the other. As a Christian, veteran and citizen, I and my family support DEI and lament the fear, grievance and misinformation promoted by others.”
“It is a travesty that the university is taking steps backward. In the ’70s, only 100 of us (Black students) were admitted to the university annually. My graduating class graduated the largest number of students with about 60 Black people graduating in 1979. Why can’t we live together in peace and harmony? The university was built by slaves. We have a right to sit at the table and work together to solve problems. I pay my taxes to support public education. Every young adult should have the opportunity to prosper. My parents marched to end segregation in the 1950s. My uncle, Dr. Linwood Jacobs, had to pay white students to purchase his books for him from the Corner because he could not purchase them for himself. We all marched on Carr’s Hill when President Hereford lied to Black students in 1975. When will this nonsense end? I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
“While Jim Ryan was well-intentioned, he was misguided in his leadership of UVA. DEI and much of the ‘woke’ agenda he advanced is an intellectual fad based on current discrimination to address past discrimination. Two wrongs don’t make a right, just more injustice. Kudos to the Jefferson Council, the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice for rectifying the primacy of the individual (regardless of their immutable characteristics), the meritocracy and unfettered inquiry. Ryan should have listened and learned.”
“I’m a proud graduate of the University of Virginia, and formerly a proud graduate degree holder from the University of Florida. I’ve watched in dismay as Ron DeSantis has dismantled a once-proud university, and I fear what will happen to Mr. Jefferson’s university as the fascists take over. And I don’t use that term lightly. I’ve watched in dismay as the current Washington administration has dismantled health care, research, the rule of law, and on and on. Don’t let that happen to the university we love.”
“I am appalled that our president—who helped get UVA global recognition; executed a successful, record-breaking capital campaign; and helped us navigate unthinkable tragedies—was not supported by the BOV. As a former BOV member from another university, our primary job is to partner with the president on the success of the university. You turned your backs on him. I am ashamed.”
“My reaction to President Ryan’s departure is absolute shock. Never would I have believed that the President of the U.S. would have the power to bully college presidents out of their jobs. I believe Mr. Jefferson would be outraged were he alive today. Although, I think Ryan ultimately saved university jobs and funding, it was an egregious abuse of power that was used against him and our fine educational institution. As a teacher it definitely puts fear in my heart for the future of all education in our country.”
“I grew up in a totalitarian state, and I was horrified to see President Ryan forced out using familiar-to-me and antithetical-to-democracy methods. The BOV should have supported President Ryan and not buckled so easily under this illegitimate pressure from the federal government.”
“I am deeply disappointed in my alma mater for not supporting President Ryan. UVA was a welcoming place when I was a student over 20 years ago. It was a place where the editor of the leftist student political magazine and the editor of the right-leaning student political magazine could respect each other deeply, be good friends and still regularly write pieces in collegial disagreement with each other. The university recognized us both as campus leaders. President Ryan’s efforts to continue and build on that legacy should have been applauded, supported and defended. We should not have been cowed by bullying tactics and by a few federal administration appointees’ attempts at silencing and pushing out differences.”
“When I attended UVA, it competed with Berkeley for the accolade of best public university. Today it’s on par with UCLA. I wish that President Ryan had put as much effort and emphasis into academic excellence and integrity as he did into far-left causes such as renaming things, removing statues, implementing and then hiding racist policies, and covering up violence in the athletic program. I, for one, will not miss President Ryan. I hope that this is a turning point in the history of the university that will lead to a much better Academical Village and a return to the real reason for its existence.”
“I fear that recent actions will reach beyond losing credible leadership and extend to academic interference, the loss of prospective students and faculty, and a rapid decline in respect for the institution. After resigning, President Jim Ryan—a legal scholar whose expertise is the intersection of the law and education—cited the need for the university to protect what is special about the UVA community. It is an ever-evolving group defined by students, faculty, administrators and alumni that choose to define it, broadening the bounds of opportunity in the best traditions of our nation. The Board of Visitors ousted its president once before and reinstated her after criticisms of the process and motivations became clear. If only we were so lucky this time. The situation involves federal actors, the weaponization of government and the polarization of our society. I would encourage the Alumni Association to be firm and call for detailed inquiries into President Ryan’s resignation and the Board of Visitors’ actions with regard to federal threats.”
“President Ryan was a great leader and role model. His loss is enormous. He will be missed. Bending to tyranny pains me greatly. But I also appreciate the sacrifice he made to save so many. I hope the arc of a moral universe does bend towards justice. We shall see...”
“The Board of Visitors abdicated its responsibility to defend their president against a flimsy Justice Department case. Rather than supporting Jim Ryan, who has a track record of success and is widely respected by students, faculty and alumni, the Board of Visitors instead sided with a vocal and highly politicized minority. Forcing Jim Ryan to step down in the face of dubious legal claims could have wide-ranging impacts on other universities as they try to chart a course with an administration hostile to many widely held goals of higher education, including diversity, inclusion, debate and research. I wish the Board of Visitors were acting in the best interests of current and future students, not political interests.”
