THOMAS JEFFERSON never wanted a president at the University of Virginia (UVA). For 85 years, there wasn’t one: along with a governing board, an unwieldy rotation of professors managed the institution, which Jefferson founded almost a half-century after writing the Declaration of Independence. Since June 27th the public university has again found itself without a leader. Facing what looked a lot like an ultimatum from the Trump administration, James Ryan, UVA’s president since 2018, said he would step down.