Jim Ryan | |
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.jpg) Ryan in 2023 | |
| 9th President of theUniversity of Virginia | |
| In office August 1, 2018 – July 11, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Teresa A. Sullivan |
| Succeeded by | Paul G. Mahoney (interim) |
| 11th Dean of theHarvard Graduate School of Education | |
| In office September 1, 2013 – June 30, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Kathleen McCartney |
| Succeeded by | Bridget Terry Long |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Edward Ryan (1966-09-21)September 21, 1966 (age 59) |
| Spouse | Katie Homer |
| Education | Yale University (BA) University of Virginia (JD) |
James Edward Ryan (born September 21, 1966) is an American legal scholar. He served as the 9th president of theUniversity of Virginia from August 1, 2018, to July 11, 2025. He served as the 11th dean of theHarvard Graduate School of Education from 2013 to 2018.
Ryan was raised inMidland Park, New Jersey, attending local public schools.[1] He graduated fromYale University and theUniversity of Virginia School of Law, where he was a member ofOmicron Delta Kappa.
Ryan clerked for chief judge of the 9th CircuitJ. Clifford Wallace and then Chief JusticeWilliam Rehnquist.[2] He served as Matheson and Morgenthau distinguished professor of law and Weber research professor of civil liberties and human rights at theUniversity of Virginia School of Law,[2] before taking the role of dean of theHarvard Graduate School of Education from 2013 to 2018.
On September 15, 2017, the University of Virginia Board of Visitorsunanimously voted Ryan as the next president of the University of Virginia.[3] On August 1, 2018, he assumed the 9th presidency of the university.[4]
On October 19, 2018, Ryan announced full scholarships for in-state undergraduates from families earning under $30,000, and full tuition for those earning under $80,000.[5]
In June 2025,The New York Times reported that theUnited States Department of Justice had pressured Ryan to resign as part of resolving a civil rights probe into UVA's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. On June 27, Ryan informed the university's board that he would resign.[6] On July 2, the university announced that Ryan would return as a professor following asabbatical.[7] His last day as the university president was set as July 11.[8]
Ryan lives with his family inCharlottesville, Virginia. Prior to accepting the UVA presidency, Ryan lived inLincoln, Massachusetts, with his wife, four children, and various animals including two cats, two dogs, and nine chickens.[9]
Ryan authored the bookWait, What?: And Life's Other Essential Questions,[10][11] as well as the bookFive Miles Away, A World Apart: One City, Two Schools, and the Story of Educational Opportunity in Modern America.[2]
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| Academics | |
