UPenn President Liz Magill Resigns Amid Backlash, Board of Trustees Chair Follows

University of Pennsylvania’s President Liz Magill resigned on Saturday, following pressure from donors, politicians, and the White House.

The Details: Board of Trustees chair Scott L. Bok, who announced her resignation, resigned minutes later. Magill will remain a tenured faculty member at the university’s Carey Law School.

For Context: Magill testified before Congress on Tuesday alongside the presidents of Harvard and MIT. She was repeatedly questioned by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who asked her if calling for the genocide of Jews violated Penn’s code of conduct. Magill said it was a “context-dependent decision,” drawing backlash. She later walked back her statements in a video. On Thursday, a major university donor pulled $100 million in response, and the Wharton School’s board requested Magill resign.

Key Quotes: Bok said, “(Magill) is not the slightest bit antisemitic,” and was “worn down by months of relentless external attacks.” He added, “She was not herself last Tuesday. Overprepared and over-lawyered given the hostile forum and high stakes, she provided a legalistic answer to a moral question, and that was wrong.” Stefanik wrote on X, “One down. Two to go. This is only the very beginning of addressing the pervasive rot of antisemitism that has destroyed the most ‘prestigious’ higher education institutions in America.”

How The Media Covered It: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Lean Left bias) included context on the university’s internal politics and Magill’s tenure. It also included a few student perspectives, one of which questioned the university’s leadership and called Magill “so pro-Israel.”