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Liz Magill, president of the University of Pennsylvania, has stepped down following intense criticism of her testimony during a congressional hearing addressing antisemitism in universities.
Ms. Magill’s refusal to state that advocating for the genocide of Jews goes against the college’s bullying and harassment policies during a hearing on antisemitism on Tuesday has caused outrage among alumni, students, and donors.
The fact that she was seen with the presidents of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who also did not reject demands for mass slaughter, caused a serious problem that led to donors threatening to withdraw $100 million in financial support.
On Saturday, the chair of UPenn’s board of trustees, Scott Bok, released a statement announcing the voluntary resignation of Ms. Magill.
Mr Bok announced in a separate statement that he has resigned, effective immediately, on Saturday.
Throughout the week, there has been an increasing demand for Ms. Magill to resign, with the Board of Advisors for UPenn’s Wharton School sending her a letter on Wednesday stating that the university needs new leadership immediately.
The University of Pennsylvania has announced that its president, Liz Magill, has chosen to resign voluntarily.
The letter stated that, based on your statement given to Congress yesterday, we are requesting that the University promptly address any support for causing harm to a certain group of individuals, revise any policies that permit such actions, and quickly take action against those who have committed such offenses.
There has been increasing demand for the resignation of Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard, and Sally Kornbluth, the president of MIT, following their contentious appearance at the House Education and Workforce Committee on Tuesday.
Videos of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik questioning university leaders at the daylong hearing spread rapidly on social media.
Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard, expressed regret for her comments made to the House select committee.
During a tense exchange, Ms. Stefanik inquired about the actions of student demonstrators who used the phrases “intifada” or “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” She questioned whether these actions could be considered a violation of the universities’ policies on bullying and harassment.
Ms. Magill explained to the hearing that it varied depending on the situation.
She posted a video on X where she retracted her previous comments, acknowledging that she should have addressed the undeniable truth that advocating for the genocide of Jewish people is a call for horrific violence that humans are capable of.
According to Mr. Bok, Ms. Magill will continue in her role until a temporary president is chosen. He also stated that she will maintain her position as a tenured member at Penn Carey Law.
“Speaking on behalf of the entire Penn community, I would like to express gratitude to President Magill for her contributions as President of the University and wish her the best,” he stated.
In her statement, Ms. Magill expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve as the president of UPenn.
The statement expressed gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with the faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members in fulfilling Penn’s important goals.
Ms. Gay has issued an apology for her previous remarks during her interview with The Harvard Crimson, while speaking to the select committee.
Ms. Gay expressed that when words intensify distress and pain, she cannot understand how one could feel anything other than regret.
On Saturday, Ms Stefanik posted on X saying, “One down. Two to go.”
She stated that this is just the start of tackling the widespread problem of anti-Semitism that has caused damage to the most esteemed colleges in America.
The US has seen a significant rise in hate crimes targeting Jews and Muslims following the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis in surprise attacks by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
The Gaza health ministry reports that over 17,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during a vigorous bombing campaign and ground invasion of Gaza.
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