Senator Kaine speaks to UVA community in wake of Ryan’s resignation
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine made a stop in downtown Charlottesville on Friday afternoon, in an effort to speak with members of the University of Virginia community about President Jim Ryan’s resignation under pressure from the federal government.
In the midst of a Department of Justice investigation into whether UVA properly complied with its order to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, Ryan suddenly announced his resignation in late June, with Friday marking his last day as President.
As Ryan is on his way out, many on Grounds are still grappling with concerns over what led to this moment and what will come next.
It’s a conversation that Senator Kaine says should be top of mind for all Virginians.
“I don’t care who the president is, Democrat or Republican, friend or foe, you don’t want the feds micromanaging Virginia public higher ed,” Kaine said. “Virginia public higher ed has demonstrated that it can do a good job, so get out of our way and let us succeed.”
After Ryan’s resignation and the loss of millions of dollars from research grants, a group from UVA’s medical community reached out to the Senator and asked him to meet with them.
“This was about protecting science, protecting higher education from the overreaches of the federal government,” said Zain Ahmad, a second year at UVA’s School of Medicine.
One by one, audience members expressed concerns about federal changes and how that could, or already has, interfered with their work.
“I think he’s on our side,” Ahmad said about Kaine. “He knows that this is an issue that people care about. He knows that the community of UVA – the alumni, the parents, the entire city of Charlottesville – stands squarely on the side of freedom of speech, stands with Jim Ryan."
A big focus now is choosing Ryan’s replacement. Kaine’s advice to the crowd: take it slow.
He pointed to the obvious political reason first, noting that if Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger should win the Governor’s Mansion, she will be able to appoint her own Board of Visitors at UVA.
But, Kaine says, there’s also a recruiting challenge that comes with the national spotlight focused on Charlottesville right now.
“I mean, this is a national level story because there’s no precedent for the DOJ... coming in and forcing the president of a state university to resign,” Kaine said. “That will create a challenge on the recruiting side. Let that be far in the rearview mirror before you go out and start looking for a new president.”
29News also reached out to a spokesperson for Congressman John McGuire to get his thoughts on Ryan’s resignation, but did not hear back.