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As it stands, Ryan, who arrived in Charlottesville in August 2018, has a contract that does not expire until July 31, 2028.

The Jefferson Council, however, believes the state鈥檚 flagship university is in crisis now due to 鈥渟even critical leadership failures,鈥� chief among them:

• Allegations of unethical and illegal practices within the UVa Health System which prompted the resignation of CEO Craig Kent in February.
• A dramatic increase in reports of antisemitism on Grounds since the war in Israel began in 2023.
• And the shooting in November 2022 that claimed the lives of three student-athletes and injured two others.

“The pattern of failures, scandals, and eroded values under Jim Ryan’s leadership cannot be ignored. For the sake of the University’s future, its principles, and its people — UVA urgently needs new leadership,” according to a website, , created by the Jefferson Council entirely dedicated to Ryan’s resignation.

But since that website went live in May, others who call UVa their alma mater have begun to vocally push back on the Jefferson Council and ResetUVa.

Another group calling itself Wahoos4UVa 鈥� comprising current and former students, parents, faculty, staff and friends of the university 鈥� has come to Ryan鈥檚 defense. The coalition鈥檚 stated goal is to spread the message that 鈥淯Va is thriving鈥� thanks to Ryan.

鈥淭o fire Jim Ryan, we believe that would be an enormous mistake,鈥� Ann Brown, co-chair of Wahoos4UVa and an alumna of the UVa Law School, told The Daily Progress. 鈥淎 real setback for the wonderful progress the university has been making over his tenure and continues to make, that would frankly be baffling to most of America.鈥�

Ryan himself has not said a word in his own defense, nor has he commented on public statements, online posts or full-page newspaper advertisements pushed by either of the two groups. Responding to a Daily Progress inquiry, university spokeswoman Bethanie Glover said the 鈥渆xchange illustrates the commitment to free expression that is a centerpiece of a UVA education.鈥�

鈥淥n the substance of the discussion, I will note that UVA is in a strong position as an institution by virtually any measure you could choose,鈥� said Glover. 鈥淲e can always strive for better, but it鈥檚 no surprise that so many members of the community are speaking out in support and defense of a University that means a great deal to them.鈥�

Already, Wahoos4UVa has managed to collect roughly 4,000 signatures on a letter of confidence in Ryan, according to Brown. The document details a number of achievements and accolades UVa has received in the past few years, all of which are indicators 鈥渢he university community itself and the outside world believe in Jim Ryan鈥檚 leadership,鈥� she said.

A representative for the Jefferson Council told The Daily Progress that 鈥減etitions are notoriously unreliable indicators of genuine community sentiment,鈥� particularly given UVa supports a network of more than 225,000 alumni and the council has more than 13,000 subscribers.

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen overwhelming support for our efforts from alumni, parents, and students alike,鈥� according to the Jefferson Council. 鈥淲e believe that as more people learn the full story of what鈥檚 happening on Grounds, our support will only continue to grow. Challenging an entrenched bureaucracy is never easy 鈥� but that鈥檚 exactly why it鈥檚 necessary.鈥�

Wahoos4UVa says another testament to Ryan鈥檚 leadership and the university鈥檚 success is the record-breaking $6 billion-plus it has raised through its 鈥淗onor the Future鈥� capital campaign. Launched by Ryan in 2019, those funds are to be used to carry out the school鈥檚 ambitious plan to become 鈥渢he best public university in 2030, and one of the very best in the world, whether public or private,鈥� according to the university.

• Some of the other accomplishments that Wahoos4UVa are touting:UVa was named the top college in the nation for free speech by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, otherwise known as FIRE, a nonprofit civil liberties organization backed by conservative and libertarian groups.
• The Princeton Review ranking UVa No. 1 for financial aid for the fourth year in a row.
• There has been a 60% increase in undergraduate applications since 2018.
• UVa boasts the highest four-year graduation rate of any public university, according to Colleges of Distinction.
• And the university now exceeds 鈥�$500 million in external research funding for the first time in UVa history.鈥�

Brown said the Jefferson Council represents a fraction of the university community and its complaints are misinformed.

鈥淭he representations that have been made by that small but vocal group of alumni, is based on misinformation and misconstruing both the specifics and the general atmosphere at the university,鈥� she said.

But some of the council鈥檚 complaints do carry water.

Ryan has been accused of ignoring the concerns of UVa Health employees and School of Medicine faculty regarding the heads of the two organizations for years, even after 128 of their number wrote a letter of no confidence in the pair. In a Sept. 5 letter, Ryan said he was disappointed in the 鈥済eneralized and anonymous claims of wrongdoing鈥� made by a handful of 鈥渄issatisfied鈥� employees.

Months after he made that remark, Ryan apologized for it, but that apology only came after what has been described as a 鈥渄amning鈥� report on the health system鈥檚 leadership.

At a Faculty Senate meeting on Oct. 18 of last year, Ryan also suggested The Daily Progress had published misinformation for reporting on the matter at all.

鈥淚s it published in The Daily Progress?鈥� he asked the faculty before him. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 all I need to know to assess its accuracy.鈥�

Ryan has not apologized for that remark.

Before the hospital scandal, Ryan also faced backlash over his refusal to release the $1.5 million, taxpayer-funded reviews of the 2022 shooting. He had promised a the reports would provide insight into the tragic events of Nov. 13, 2022, help prevent another such tragedy from occurring at UVa or any other college again.

On that November night three years ago, a chartered bus was returning to UVa Grounds from a field trip to Washington, D.C., when Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. shot and killed three students and Cavalier football players 鈥� Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D鈥橲ean Perry 鈥� and injured two others, fellow football player Mike Hollins and second-year student Marlee Morgan.

UVa has not provided a consistent reason for why it will not release the full and unredacted reports. At times, the university has said releasing the reports would interfere with Jones鈥� criminal trial, the reports would reveal the personal academic records of students and the reports contained factually inaccurate information that would upset the families of the victims.

Those families have been explicit that they want to see the full reports released to the public.

It wasn鈥檛 until March of this year that UVa finally released any part of the review 鈥� with just as many redacted pages as unredacted.

The Daily Progress has sued for the total release of the reports to the public.

This, among other reasons, is enough for UVa鈥檚 governing Board of Visitors to fire Ryan, according to the Jefferson Council.

鈥淭he Jefferson Council delineated seven reasons supporting our position that new leadership is needed at UVA,鈥� according to the council鈥檚 representative, who added the ResetUVa website provides evidence to support each of these points. 鈥淲ahoos4UVA totally fails to directly address any of our points and merely makes conclusory claims of misinformation without any specifics.鈥�

Speaking for Wahoos4UVa, Brown said her confidence in Ryan has only been strengthened by his handling of the same crises the Jefferson Council has highlighted.

鈥淚鈥檝e never seen President Ryan be defensive or refuse to take responsibility for anything that he could control or could influence in the life of the university,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 incredibly conscientious and open, and sometimes there are legal constraints that might keep information from being shared.鈥�

鈥淗e is a person of deep personal integrity and professional integrity, and we who are in President Ryan鈥檚 corner in this moment believe that we are extremely well-led and well-served by all of those qualities that he brings to this job,鈥� continued Brown.