CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – In the months since stepping down as President at the University of Virginia, Jim Ryan has often been asked, by concerned friends and colleagues, how he’s doing.

Ryan has to sheepishly admit, he’s doing quite well.

“I feel really shallow saying this, but I’m really good at not working, it turns out,” the 59-year-old Ryan jokingly told Cville Right Now.

During a wide-ranging, 30-minute interview – Ryan’s first extensive media comments since his politically-driven June 2025 resignation – UVA’s ninth president said his current sabbatical has afforded him time to spend with family, pursue his myriad hobbies, including kite-surfing, skiing, biking, golfing and, of course, running, and begin writing a new book.

Ryan spoke openly about what he hopes UVA learned from his ouster, what’s next for the university and what’s next for him.

And he explained why he didn’t get political in his address to the graduates during his speech Friday, when the Class of 2026 invited him to be the keynote speaker at valedictory exercises.

“I feel like there’s a time and a place for everything and that particular event was about the students,” said Ryan, a Yale and UVA Law graduate. “And so, I just don’t think it’s right to hijack an event for selfish reasons. I’m sure some people were thinking I was going to go in and give a barn burner of a speech, but that never crossed my mind, honestly.”

Ryan resigned in June under pressure from the federal government. The Department of Justice had opened multiple investigations into the university, a number of them stemming from the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, something Ryan had championed both during his time as the Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Harvard, and then at UVA.

In a 12-page letter to the Faculty Senate in November, Ryan laid out how his resignation unfolded, accusing former Board of Visitors rector Rachel Sheridan and other board members of orchestrating his ouster for political reasons. He indicated Sheridan, then the incoming Rector, incoming Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson and then-Governor Glenn Youngkin worked behind the backs of the rest of the BOV to engineer the pressure that ultimately led Ryan to resign in an attempt to spare the university the loss of federal funds.

Ryan told Cville Right Now that if the board had supported him, he would have “100%” fought back to keep his post, despite the challenges of opposing both the Trump and Youngkin administrations.

“I think that the one lesson that should be learned, and hopefully has been learned, is that the board should protect the independence of the university, and they should protect their own independence to select a president,” Ryan said. “I hope that they learn that lesson. Because if you give away that, you’re giving away an awful lot.”

Ryan said he doesn’t spend much time thinking about what legacy his presidency left at UVA. He is proud of the progress the school made on the ‘Great and Good’ strategic plan, though he deflected much of the credit for that work to the rest of the administration and deans.

“I think more in terms of things that ‘we’ were able to do, but emphasizing that ‘we,’” he said. “I think we were able to get a lot done that was in the strategic plan, and that was through the hard work of a great number of people. A lot of what we set out to do, we were able to do, which was really satisfying.”

Ryan said he was most proud of the camaraderie he saw on grounds during his time in office.

“There was a strong sense of community,” Ryan said. “And I was pleasantly surprised that people seemed to resonate with the idea of being great and good. I think UVA was a place that people were happy to be associated with. I think that was true for a long time, but it was palpable when I was there. People were proud to be a part of the community. That, to me, is what was the most satisfying part of the job.”

He said he was moved by the outpouring of support following his resignation, first on the day of his announcement, when people flocked to the president’s Carrs Hill residence for an impromptu demonstration, and then later when his next “Run with Jim” community run became a “Run for Jim.”

“It was really touching, honestly,” Ryan said. “You know, you don’t always realize whether you’re having any kind of impact at all. It’s moving when you realize that you have had at least some impact.”

Ryan said he was “honored” when the Class of 2026 invited him to be the keynote speaker at Friday’s valedictory exercises at John Paul Jones Arena.

“It meant a lot to me, honestly,” Ryan said. “I got to know a lot of the students in the fourth-year class and like I said (Friday), we’ve been through a lot over the four years that they were there, and I admire a lot of the students in that class. I have a lot of affection for them.”

Indeed, Ryan’s tenure as UVA president saw its share of turmoil, even before the federal government turned its anti-DEI ire toward Charlottesville.

In 2022, a UVA student shot five classmates aboard a bus that had just returned to campus from a field trip, killing three football players.

In 2024, 128 UVA Health doctors signed a letter of no confidence in CEO Craig Kent and School of Medicine Dean Melina Kibbe, alleging fraudulent billing, falsification of medical records, and intimidation of staff. The university hired an outside firm to conduct an inquiry into the complaints. After it was delivered to Ryan and the BOV, Kent and Kibbe resigned.

Still, despite those intensely difficult situations and his politically-driven ouster, Ryan believes the future is bright for the university he loves.

“I think the university is in incredibly strong shape, has an incredibly bright future ahead,” Ryan said. “We’re in a time in higher education where you’re starting to see schools really struggle, I think the schools struggling the most are small, liberal arts colleges. … Parents and are looking for places that offer a good value. And there’s a reason why applications at UVA just continue to skyrocket. And I think it’s because parents and students recognize that it’s actually a good value. And I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon.”

As for Ryan’s own future, while he’s looking forward to rejoining the faculty at UVA’s law school following his sabbatical, he’s making the most of his time away.

“I’m trying to do all the things I haven’t been able to do in the last 12 years,” Ryan said. “I have a large number of interests and hobbies. I love to ski. I love to surf and kite board. I don’t know if you know what kite boarding is, but Google it. I also love to golf and I love to run and bike. So, I’m doing a lot of that. But I’m also writing another book. I realized I needed a project.”

Ryan’s book will be on questions leaders should ask. He said it’s somewhat of a follow up to his 2017 title, ‘Wait, What? And Life’s Other Essential Questions,’ and he’ll be drawing from both his experiences as UVA’s president and those of other people in leadership roles he has encountered.

“I tend to write in the morning and then go on some adventure in the afternoon,” Ryan said. “I’ve also been catching up with friends, spending more time with family, and traveling a fair bit, as well. So, people keep asking me how I’m doing, and I’ll say, ‘I’m great.'”

After all, great and good was always the goal.