Virginia must resist Trump's attacks on higher ed – before it's too late

By: U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine

In Richmond Times Dispatch

Last month, the Trump Department of Justice crossed a dangerous line when it interfered in the governance of the University of Virginia to oust president Jim Ryan, not for misconduct or mismanagement, but for reasons of personal and political grievance.

Under Ryan’s leadership, UVa expanded access to first-generation and low-income students, navigated complex challenges around free speech and campus safety, and strengthened UVa’s standing as one of the world’s premier public research institutions. But instead of being recognized for those accomplishments, he was targeted — the latest casualty in a calculated campaign by the Trump administration to politicize higher education and undermine local governance of public education.

We fear that what happened at UVa is just the beginning. Already, the Trump administration appears to be eyeing its next target: George Mason University President Gregory Washington. The accusations — which are pushed by bloggers with ties to ultra-conservative groups with histories of false claims about Mason and advocacy for the removal of university presidents — are eerily similar to those lodged against Ryan.

They include vague and politically charged accusations centered around “DEI” and suggestions that the university’s administration has been insufficiently responsive to concerns raised by Jewish students about their safety on campus. That’s despite the fact that the university’s leaders have repeatedly and publicly condemned antisemitism and actually been praised by the local Jewish Relations Council and campus Hillel for their leadership and commitment to Jewish members of Mason’s community.

Mason’s police chief was also recently honored by the Combating Antisemitism Movement for the work that the university has done to keep Jewish students safe and the number of reports of antisemitic activity at Mason decreased by more than 60% between the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years.

Credible concerns about antisemitism on college campuses must be taken very seriously, and universities have a responsibility to ensure that Jewish students feel safe and supported on campus. However, the idea that the Trump administration’s actions have anything to do with protecting students would be laughable if it weren’t so disturbing.

Donald Trump himself has a long record of antisemitic speech and behavior. Just last week, he was rebuked by the Anti-Defamation League for using an anti-Jewish slur in a speech. And his administration’s playbook — blowing up the entire Department of Education while meddling with a handful of schools — makes plain that the real goal is to impose ideological and political control over educational institutions at every level.

Given the Trump administration’s deeply troubling record so far, we have little confidence that any investigation they launch will be fair or impartial. Instead, we fear it will serve as yet another smokescreen to punish universities and leaders who don’t align with their ideological goals.

Mason is one of Virginia’s greatest success stories. What began as a small commuter campus in the 1950s has grown into the commonwealth’s largest public university, recognized nationally for both academic excellence and accessibility. The Carnegie Foundation recently recognized Mason as the only Virginia school with top-tier rankings for both research and student access, a rare distinction that reflects its role as a powerful engine of upward mobility for veterans, first-generation students, Pell grant recipients and community college transfers.

Mason has also earned praise for fostering a vibrant intellectual environment that welcomes diverse viewpoints. Its campus is home to both the Antonin Scalia Law School and the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution — a reflection of the university’s commitment to fostering a wide spectrum of ideas. That commitment is why the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression recently named Mason one of the top universities in the country for free speech. Turning a success story like this into a political target does nothing but jeopardize the very values our universities are meant to uphold.

As senators and former governors, we believe decisions about who leads our colleges and universities should rest with their boards — appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state legislature — not with partisan actors in Washington seeking headlines or revenge. The federal government has no business strong-arming university boards to install political loyalists or punish academic leaders for failing to march in lockstep with their agenda.

Our institutions of higher learning must remain places of academic freedom, critical thinking and open dialogue — values that have made Virginia’s colleges and universities some of the best in the world and a cornerstone of our economic strength. Virginia consistently wins accolades for our economy, business climate, educational attainment and overall quality of life.

These achievements — and the progress we still strive toward — are rooted in continuing our strong bipartisan commitment to an education system that works for all Virginians. Our advances in recent years show that Virginia already knows how to make progress happen. The last thing we need is federal bureaucrats from a deeply unpopular administration undermining one of the key factors in our success.

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