“All of Which Will Continue”: Ryan’s Quiet Recommitment to DEI

At the March 22 UVA Faculty Senate meeting, President Jim Ryan offered what he described as brief remarks, mostly to address growing concerns over recent political and institutional developments, especially the Board of Visitors’ resolution on DEI and the implications for federal research funding.

Ryan began by acknowledging the “tumultuous time” both nationally and on Grounds, citing two recent shelter-in-place incidents and a wave of directives from Washington and Richmond. “I appreciate all that you're doing to support each other and to support our students,” he told the faculty.

But his main focus was on damage control regarding the Board’s DEI resolution — a move that has generated “a lot of anxiety and concern,” according to Ryan. He sought to minimize the scope of the resolution, insisting:

“The resolution basically asks for two things. One is to dissolve the central DEI office… The second is to review policies and programs to make sure that they're legal.”

He downplayed broader implications and public interpretations, stating,

“There have been a lot of claims about what the resolution is or is not, but that is the resolution.”

However, Ryan was vague about actual implementation. He referenced a working group “meeting every day at noon” to track political developments but offered no specifics about how or when the DEI office would be dismantled or how its components would be relocated. Notably, he emphasized the continuation of DEI-linked programs, saying:

“There are a lot of critical functions that happen in the DEI office… all of which will continue.”

Rather than signaling any meaningful shift, Ryan’s comments suggested the university is more likely to rebrand and redistribute DEI operations than remove or reduce them. His collaboration with Kevin McDonald — the very person who led UVA’s DEI efforts — reinforces skepticism that substantive change is underway.

While he promised an interim update before the Board’s 30-day reporting deadline, Ryan was noncommittal:

“We will keep you all apprised.”

As for reviewing policies for legal compliance, he admitted that effort “will take a little bit longer,” offering no timetable or framework.

In sum, Ryan’s remarks appeared more focused on optics than reform, signaling a familiar pattern: acknowledge outside pressure, make bureaucratic tweaks, and preserve the status quo under a new name.