The University of Pennsylvania is bracing for change at the top, as the school’s president, Liz Magill, comes under intense fire following controversial congressional testimony earlier this week.
An emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees on Thursday resolved to seek Magill’s resignation the following day amidst a growing scandal over her handling of antisemitism on campus, according to the New York Post.
During her testimony before Congress on Tuesday, Magill was pressed on the rise of antisemitic incidents at universities across the country but failed to outright condemn an extremist call for Jewish genocide, sparking outrage.
The event has since drawn the ire of prominent figures, including Ross Stevens, CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management.
Stevens sent a letter to the University of Pennsylvania, announcing the withdrawal of a substantial $100 million donation.
Addressed to Wendy S. White, Senior Vice President & General Counsel at the University of Pennsylvania & Penn Medicine, the letter outlines the reasons for this drastic step. Stevens, an alumnus of UPenn, had initially earmarked these funds for the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance.
Penn’s Wharton Business School Board of Advisors sent a letter to Magill and to the Board of Trustees on Wednesday.
“As confirmed in your congressional testimony yesterday, the leadership of the University does not share the values of our Board. Nor does it appear to understand the urgency to address the safety of our students on campus and the ongoing reputational damage to the University by the University’s policies and actions,” the letter read.
“Further, as a result of the University leadership’s stated beliefs and collective failure to act, our Board respectfully suggests to you and the Board of Trustees that the University requires new l eadership with immediate effect,” it added.
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University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill is being asked to resign by the board of Penn’s Wharton business school. https://t.co/ofrbxiSz19 pic.twitter.com/wySprjgjnE
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) December 8, 2023
Board Chairman Scott Bok, who chaired the crisis meeting on Thursday, is expected to have a decisive conversation with President Magill about her resignation on Friday, an insider familiar with the situation disclosed to CNN.
As of now, the University of Pennsylvania has not made an official statement regarding the outcome of the meeting or the status of President Magill’s tenure.
The New York Post reported:
The University of Pennsylvania is expected to ask its president, Liz Magill, to resign Friday over growing outrage at her failure to condemn calls for the genocide of the Jewish people — a move celebrated by billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who said it would be “one down.”
The Ivy League school’s Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting Thursday to deal with the fallout from Magill’s disastrous Congressional testimony on Tuesday, which has already seen a Wall Street titan trying to claw back a $100 million donation and calls for her ouster.
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