University of Virginia president resigns amid Trump administration investigation

The University of Virginia's president, James E. Ryan, submitted his resignation Friday in an effort to resolve Trump administration demands related to a federal investigation into the school's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The move is the first such pressure campaign on a public university, which is the latest escalation in the Trump administration's months-long national effort to reshape higher education at America's top universities. The Justice Department Civil Rights Division pressured the university to uproot diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as ordered by President Trump, and accused Ryan of simply rebranding them. Multiple sources familiar with the situation told CBS News that the university feared losing federal funding unless a compromise was reached. Ryan's resignation followed.

In a letter to the UVA community, Ryan explained that he "cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job." He nodded to a broad threat of federal action against the university and its students if he remained in office.