On Monday, March 30th, the Civil Discourse Initiative (“CDI”) hosted a discussion on the state of the University of Virginia entitled “Number One No More?” The event was framed around President Jim Ryan’s resignation last summer and the various political and administrative decisions surrounding it.
Panelists included third-year Sophia Bangura, who writes for The Jefferson Independent and the Virginia Review of Politics; third-year Micah Andrews, who is heavily involved with Student Council; and fourth-year Reese Barrett. All three are members of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. Third-year Henry Brown, president of CDI and managing editor of The Jefferson Independent, moderated the conversation.
Brown began by declaring that the past year was one of the most tumultuous in the University’s history. Four individuals — Ryan, J.J. Davis, Paul Mahoney, and Scott Beardsley — acted as president in just over six months. Brown then kicked off the conversation by asking the panelists about the Ryan administration.
Each panelist spoke favorably on Ryan’s seven-year term. Bangura acknowledged the difficulties Ryan faced coming into the presidency shortly after the 2017 Unite the Right rally. She appreciated his work to portray the University as more inclusive through his Great and Good initiative. His “decision to resign rather than abolish [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion]” was, to Bangura, an indicator that Ryan is an educator at his core. She did, however, discuss her skepticism about UVA’s opinions on free speech.
Barrett commented on Ryan’s charisma, involvement in student life, and the fact that he was “accessible to students in a way that made him a person.” While he criticized Ryan’s handling of the 2024 encampment and the use of state police force against students, Barrett expressed sympathy for the binds that Ryan was in. Andrews further concurred that Ryan’s reaction to the encampment in her first year on Grounds colored the way she viewed his presidency. Still, she praised his Hoos First initiative for first-generation students. Ultimately, for Andrews, the way the student body rallied around Ryan last summer was a clear sign that he stood up for student voices.
Brown’s next questions centered around the 2025 Department of Justice (“DOJ”) investigation and the Board of Visitors’ (“BOV”) role in Ryan’s resignation. Andrews drew on her experience serving on Student Council, describing the Board’s “fickle nature” and its unwillingness to listen to students. Tensions with the BOV ultimately led to votes of no confidence from Student Council and the Faculty Senate. Andrews is eager to see how the BOV changes with Spanberger’s 10 new appointees and is also hopeful that a voting student member will be added to the Board.
Barrett added context, explaining that the BOV currently has much more power and a greater spotlight than it generally does. He outlined a “perfect storm”: the encampment, a 2024 complaint about antisemitism on Grounds received by the DOJ, and the fact that two senior DOJ officials are UVA graduates led to an ideological shift for which Ryan was a barrier. Bangura said that the structure of the BOV “makes it beholden to politics,” adding, “We shouldn’t bet on the next government to pick good people.”
Brown then turned to Mahoney’s single-semester term as interim president. Bangura described him as a “quintessential figure for institutionalism” with long-standing ties to the University. When asked whether she thinks he did a good job in the fall, her answer was simple: “No.” The most influential thing Mahoney did, in Bangura’s eyes, was enter into the October 2025 deal with the DOJ. She is concerned that it may be the reason why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives are not presently being reestablished at UVA, even as other universities bring back related practices.
Andrews stated that Mahoney met the moment at UVA but did not do anything special by rejecting the 2025 federal education compact, as several peer universities did the same. Barrett agreed, concurring that the rejection of the compact was not a defiant stance against the Trump administration. However, he acknowledged that Mahoney was dealt a difficult set of cards.
Next, Brown asked a series of questions about President Beardsley. Each panelist lauded his qualifications but expressed concerns about the rushed process through which he was chosen. Barrett said that he is “not entirely convinced that Beardsley stepping down is the wrong answer,” despite the costs and political ramifications that may bring. He awaits the outcome of the BOV presidential search audit. He also worries that the conditions that led to Ryan’s resignation are still latent, even if UVA seems to be operating normally. Bangura appreciates Beardsley’s work with the Student Council and hopes to see the continuation of student support and access funds and the Great and Good initiative. Andrews looks forward to seeing President Beardsley build trust among students and create his own initiatives apart from the Ryan tradition.
Finally, the panelists discussed UVA’s current position and potential trajectory. Because of the federal scrutiny that put UVA on President Trump’s radar last year, Barrett believes that the University can either choose to capitulate or stand up to him. Micah agreed, citing UVA’s unique opportunity to affect how higher education moves forward. Given the national attention on UVA, Andrews said the University should perhaps be “less defensive and more offensive.”
Bangura sees the situation as a chance to maintain Jefferson’s legacy, following truth wherever it may lead. All panelists commented on their concerns about the Trump administration’s impact on higher education and the tensions between the student body, the faculty, the BOV, and President Beardsley. However, each offered a cautious optimism about the future, owing to the power of unity among UVA students. As Andrews remarked, “UVA will continue, as it has for 200 years, to be a leader in Virginia and a light for the students who come here.”
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