Joel Gardner got bachelor's and law degrees from UVA, and he’s a devoted alum – donating to his alma mater and reading the student newspaper from his desk in Manhattan.
"I was the only investment banker in New York who read the Cavalier Daily online before the Wall Street Journal," he recalls.
But since Jim Ryan became UVA’s president, Gardner says, the place has changed in unfortunate ways. It endured a scandal at the medical center where doctors complained about a culture of fear and retaliation against critics.
After three students were shot to death on grounds, Gardner says the Ryan administration was not transparent about what UVA knew and when.
“There was no report released for a couple of years," Gardner recalls, "and when it was released half of it was redacted.”
He feels the administration tolerated anti-Semitism after war broke out between Hamas and Israel, and he’s angry over the emphasis Ryan and his team have placed on diversity, equity and inclusion.
"They have chosen to institutionally push a social and political agenda."
Gardner also contends UVA has done nothing to encourage free speech.
"That’s the heart and soul of the university – freedom of expression and not having students and their faculty live in fear of retribution."
So, he joined with other alumni to form a group called ResetUVA – sharing its views through the media and calling for a change in leadership. That has prompted formation of another group – Wahoos4UVA – to defend Jim Ryan’s record.
"I deeply respect what he stands for. His very genuine care about people is just evident is who he is," says
Co-chair Chris Ford. He points to Ryan’s fundraising effort called Honoring the Future.
"His target goal was five billion dollars. He was able to raise over six billion," Ford recalls.
And that wasn’t from a few wealthy donors.
“Over half of the alumni base gave to the Honoring the Future campaign.”
Wahoos4UVA says a small, unrepresentative group is running a coordinated campaign to undermine the school’s leadership and reputation through misinformation and partisan attacks. In response, Wahoos took-out five full-page ads in newspapers across Virginia listing major achievements during Ryan’s years in office.
The school was named #1 in the 2025 College Free Speech Rankings by the conservative Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
It’s also #1 for financial aid among public universities and has the highest graduation rate of any state school.
Since 2018, undergraduate applications are up 60%, and the school exceeded $500 million in external research funding for the first time in UVA history.
Ford doesn’t fault Ryan’s handling of the deadly campus shooting in 2022.
"President Ryan was steady in his leadership throughout that event. He guided the university through it – keeping in mind, in particular, the victims, their families."
Nor does he complain about the way Ryan handled trouble at the medical center.
"People are very happy with the way that the healthcare system is operating right now, and it has been rather remarkable in terms of how it’s viewed and how it’s grown."
Neither group could say whether there were enough votes on the Board of Visitors to replace Ryan or whether Governor Glenn Youngkin would approve a change, but both organizations have pledged to continue their fight over the values and leadership of UVA.
