UPenn president resigns after the outrage caused by her antisemitic testimony in Congress

The president of the University of Pennsylvania, Liz Magill, submitted her resignation this Saturday after becoming the target of criticism for the testimony she gave before Congress on antisemitism.

“President Liz Magill has voluntarily tendered her resignation as President of the University of Pennsylvania. She will remain a tenured faculty member at Penn Carey Law,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Scott L. Bok.

According to Bok's statement, Magill will continue to serve until an interim president is appointed.

“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 without mentioning her testimony before Congress.

The pressure Magill faced

After Magill refused to unequivocally condemn calls for the genocide of Jews, the University of Pennsylvania president became a target of criticism and faced intense pressure from students, alumni, donors and politicians.

A total of 74 members of Congress signed a letter demanding Magill's firing for her “abhorrent” performance during the hearing.

"The world is watching — you can stand with your Jewish students and faculty, or you can choose the side of dangerous antisemitism," the letter stated.

As if this were not enough, more than three dozen members of the school's teaching staff signed a letter criticizing the president and her statements, and Ross Stevens, a major donor to the educational institution, threatened to withdraw a donation of 100 million dollars in protest of the handling of antisemitism on campus.

The board of trustees of Penn's Wharton business school also pressed for Magill's resignation, and the university's board of trustees held an emergency meeting to address backlash over the comments before Congress.

Despite all the pressure she received, Magill does not seem to regret her comments.