The Trump Administration has an axe to grind against a state that voted blue in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Presidential elections. Virginia also has a cooperative Republican Governor (and 2028 Presidential candidate hopeful) eager to earn points with the MAGA base, so it’s no surprise that they targeted Virginia’s public universities first.
It started back in 2022 with Governor Youngkin’s first executive order titled “Ending the use of inherently divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory” and AG Miyares’s firing of multiple top university attorneys. These steps, plus appointing or renewing 100% of the Board of Visitors seats during his term laid the groundwork to weaken university leadership’s ability to respond to Federal overreach. The Richmond Times Dispatch has published an excellent article about How Virginia’s colleges became the epicenter of Trump’s efforts to end DEI and Governor Youngkin’s role in that.
In addition to the reasons already stated, it’s likely that the enviable reputation of Virginia’s public university system made it a stellar place to “champion a cause.”
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