UVA President Jim Ryan’s statement to the community

To the University community:

I am writing, with a very heavy heart, to let you know that I have submitted my resignation as President of the University of Virginia.

To make a long story short, I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in this University. But I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job. To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld. This is especially true because I had decided that next year would be my last, for reasons entirely separate from this episode – including the fact that we concluded our capital campaign and have implemented nearly all of the major initiatives in our strategic plan.

While there are very important principles at play here, I would at a very practical level be fighting to keep my job for one more year while knowingly and willingly sacrificing others in this community. If this were not so distinctly tied to me personally, I may have pursued a different path. But I could not in good conscience cause real and direct harm to my colleagues and our students in order to preserve my own position.

It has been an honor to be your President. Thanks for the outpouring of support over the last few days and weeks. My deepest gratitude to all of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni, who make this University and this community both great and good. This was an excruciatingly difficult decision, and I am heartbroken to be leaving this way.

Best,
Jim

Jim Ryan
President