University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill and Chair of the Board of Trustees, Scott Bok, have both resigned amid widespread criticism of the handling of reported antisemitism on campus.
Magill’s resignation comes several days after she testified on Capitol Hill during a hearing focused on antisemitism at U.S. universities. Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Dr. Sally Kornbluth and Harvard University President Dr. Claudine Gay also testified.
“It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution. It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions," Magill said in a statement shared by Bok.
"On behalf of the entire Penn community, I want to thank President Magill for her service to the University as President and wish her well," Bok said in a statement.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Bok also wrote that Magill will remain a tenured faculty member at Penn's law school.
Some students on campus shared their thoughts with NBC10 after the news of her resignation broke.
“I think it’s a bit wild, I think she kinda got strong armed out of the position," freshman Justin Monchias said.
"Removing her does alleviate some of that hurt—it doesn’t alleviate everything, but I think making such a big act such as removing our president, it makes people feel like things can change,” freshman Alecia Camera said.
Shortly after the announcement was made that Magill had resigned, Bok resigned as well, as first reported by the Daily Pennsylvanian.
"While I was asked to remain in that role for the remainder of my term in order to help with the presidential transition, I concluded that, for me, now was the right time to depart, Bok said in a statement shared with NBC10. "Former President Liz Magill last week made a very unfortunate misstep—consistent with that of two peer university leaders sitting alongside her—after five hours of aggressive questioning before a Congressional committee. Following that, it became clear that her position was no longer tenable, and she and I concurrently decided that it was time for her to exit."
The investigation is part of the Biden administration’s effort to take “aggressive action” against discrimination. Schools found to have violated civil rights law can face penalties up to a total loss of federal money, although the vast majority of cases end in voluntary settlements.
Penn was accused of antisemitism in federal complaints filed in November by the Brandeis Center, a Jewish legal advocacy group.
In a Nov. 9 letter to the Education Department, the center said Penn professors have made antisemitic statements in the classroom and on social media. It also said many Jewish students are afraid to be on campus during pro-Palestinian rallies, and that the university has done little to support them.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Magill was questioned about several issues, including the comments from the Penn professors, a fall event that featured speakers that drew concerns from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and a pro-Palestinian rally on campus that sparked accusations of antisemitism.
An exchange towards the end of the hearing between Magill and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) also sparked controversy. Stefanik repeatedly asked Magill if calling for the genocide of Jews violated Penn’s code of conduct to which Magill was unable to give a direct “yes or no” answer.
Stefanik took to social media on Saturday to share her reaction to Magill's resignation.
During an appearance at a Philadelphia Jewish restaurant that was protested by a pro-Palestinian group, Gov. Josh Shapiro criticized Magill’s exchange with Stefanik, calling it a “failure of leadership.”
"She needed to give a one word answer and she failed to meet that test," the governor said.
He continued, saying the board of directors at the university had a "serious decision" to make concerning whether Magill's comments represent the values of the Ivy League institution and the values of the board of the University of Pennsylvania.
Magill expanded on her answer on Wednesday, saying a call for the genocide of Jewish people would be considered harassment or intimidation.
“I was not focused on, but I should have been, the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate,” Magill said in a video statement released by the university. “It’s evil, plain and simple.”
Magill called for a review of Penn’s policies, which she said have long been guided by the U.S. Constitution but need to be “clarified and evaluated” as hate spreads across campus and around the world “in a way not seen in years.”
The Republican-led House committee also announced Thursday it will investigate the policies and disciplinary procedures at Penn, Harvard and MIT in the aftermath of Tuesday's hearing.
Two Penn students also recently filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming the university had become an "incubation lab" for antisemitism.
On Thursday, Ross Stevens -- a 1991 Wharton graduate and CEO of the New York-based financial services firm Stone Ridge Asset Management -- threatened to withdraw his $100 million donation from Penn's business school unless there was a change of leadership.
Stevens was one of multiple Penn donors and alumni who were critical of the university’s response to antisemitic acts on campus — including a swastika drawn inside the design school building and vandalism at the Hillel chapter there — that happened before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
A protest was also held at Penn calling for Magill's resignation while a truck with the message, "Fire Liz," was spotted driving around campus over the past few days.
Magill became Penn’s ninth president back on July 1, 2022. She had previously served as Executive Vice President and Provost at the University of Virginia and the Richard E. Lang Professor and Dean of the Stanford Law School prior to her tenure at Penn.
