University of Pennsylvania President Resigns Amid Antisemitism Controversy
The controversy arose following her testimony, alongside two other university presidents, at a congressional hearing addressing open threats against Israelis on college campuses during the Israel-Hamas conflict that began in October.
AKACHI NOEL 
University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill has voluntarily resigned from her position after facing criticism for her stance on antisemitism on campus. The controversy arose following her testimony, alongside two other university presidents, at a congressional hearing addressing open threats against Israelis on college campuses during the Israel-Hamas conflict that began in October.
Scott L. Bok, Chair of the Penn Board of Trustees, announced Magill's resignation on the school's website. In the statement, he expressed gratitude for Magill's service to the university and mentioned her decision to remain a tenured faculty member at Penn Carey Law. Plans for interim leadership at Penn will be shared in the coming days, and Magill has agreed to stay on until an interim president is appointed.
READ ALSO: 42 Adekunle Ajasin University Students Achieve First Class Honors in 12th Convocation
During the congressional hearing, Magill, along with Harvard University President Claudine Gay and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, faced criticism for not providing a clear "yes" or "no" answer regarding whether calls for the genocide of Jews would violate their schools' codes of conduct on bullying and harassment. The university presidents were divided between protecting freedom of speech and acknowledging policy violations.
Magill issued an apology in a video on Wednesday expressing regret for the situation. Similarly, Harvard University President Claudine Gay apologized on Friday. The controversy has sparked discussions about the balance between freedom of speech and addressing hate speech on college campuses.
