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Sen. Hashmi slams ‘politically motivated’ University of Virginia president exit
“President Ryan is a widely respected leader... He was pushed out not because of performance, but because of politics,” she said.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 27, Jun 2025
- 16:37 EDT
- 14
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Ghazala Hashmi/ University of Virginia President Jim Ryan / File Photo/ University of Virginia
Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashmi on June 26 expressed concern over the resignation of University of Virginia President Jim Ryan, calling it politically driven.
“The resignation of President Jim Ryan is a deeply troubling escalation in the partisan campaign against higher education—and it should alarm every Virginian who believes in academic freedom and institutional integrity,” she said.
As Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee and the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor, Hashmi criticized President Donald Trump’s "sweeping efforts against higher education," stating that they have "opened the floodgates for political interference in our colleges and universities."
The resignation of President Jim Ryan is a deeply troubling escalation in the partisan campaign against higher education. Read my full statement: https://t.co/fED0YvXdQJ pic.twitter.com/apOOyiUVl3
— Senator Hashmi (@SenatorHashmi) June 27, 2025
Citing her own background as an immigrant and first-generation American, Hashmi emphasized the transformative power of public education. “Virginia’s universities should remain public institutions dedicated to serving the people of the Commonwealth with excellence and independence—not as playgrounds for partisan agendas,” she said.
She pledged to continue defending academic freedom across Virginia.
Ryan’s resignation comes amid reported pressure from the Trump administration to step aside as part of a proposed settlement to a Justice Department civil rights investigation into the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. The board overseeing the University of Virginia has accepted his resignation, though the exact timeline of his departure remains unclear.
Ryan, a former law professor and dean at Harvard, has been widely credited for expanding access to higher education and increasing support for first-generation college students at UVA.
The Justice Department investigation reportedly concluded that UVA’s use of race in admissions and student benefits amounted to “widespread practices” across the institution. The department is said to have demanded Ryan’s resignation as a condition of resolving the probe.
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