(Philadelphia) University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned Saturday amid criticism of her testimony at a congressional hearing, where she was unable to say despite repeated questions , that calls for genocide of Jews on campus would violate the university’s code of conduct.
The departure of Mme Magill, who was in his second year as president, was announced by the educational institution late Saturday afternoon.
The press release specified that Mme Magill would, however, remain a tenured faculty member at the law school. She also agreed to retain her role as president until someone is found to take over in the interim.
Mme Magill was pressed to resign immediately after her testimony before a House committee examining anti-Semitism on campuses Tuesday. She appeared alongside the presidents of Harvard University and MIT.
PHOTO MARK SCHIEFELBEIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Harvard University President Claudine Gay (left).
Universities across the United States have been accused of failing to protect Jewish students amid growing fears of anti-Semitism around the world in the wake of Israel’s war in Gaza.
All three presidents were called before the commission to respond to these accusations, but their largely legal responses sparked further backlash from their opponents.
One exchange in particular, where Rep. Elise Stefanik repeatedly asked whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate the University of Pennsylvania’s code of conduct, was particularly controversial.
“If the speech turns into behavior, it can be harassment, yes,” replied Mme Magill. Pressed further, she added: “It’s a decision that depends on the context. »
Criticism quickly poured in from the White House, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, members of Congress and university donors. One of the donors, Ross Stevens, threatened to withdraw a $100 million donation because of the university’s “stance on anti-Semitism on campus” unless Mme Magill is replaced.
The day after his testimony, Mr.me Magill responded to the criticism, saying in a video that she would consider a call for the genocide of the Jewish people to be harassment or intimidation and that the university’s policy needed to be “clarified and evaluated.”
This fall, Mme Magill had faced criticism from some donors and alumni over the university’s handling of various alleged acts of anti-Semitism.
Mme Magill, 57, was dean of Stanford University Law School and a senior administrator at the University of Virginia before the University of Pennsylvania hired her to become its ninth president last year.