Magill was part of the House Education Committee hearing this week, along with Harvard President Claudine Gay and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth.
The trio participated in an over five-hour long marathon hearing from lawmakers called to seek their response against anti-Jewish sentiments simmering in the college campuses, particularly after Israel’s incessant bombings of the Gaza Strip in retaliation to Hamas’s bloodiest October 7 attack.
“It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution. It has been an honour to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni and community members to advance Penn’s vital mission,” Magill said in a statement.
However, she will continue her role until an interim president is selected. University’s Trustee Board Chair Scott Bok also put down his papers on Saturday.
Magill has agreed to stay in her role until an interim president is selected, according to a statement from Penn Trustee Board Chair Scott Bok. He also resigned on Saturday.
Responses that opened a Pandora’s Box
Heads of the US top universities opened a pandora’s box after they failed to categorically condemn the calls against the “genocide of Jews” and appeared evading the questions.
Question from Republican Elise Stefanik,(representative-New York), about pro-Palestinian student protestors’ calling for “intifada” or “the genocide of Jews” did not get a clear response from the outgoing Penslynavia University president.
“Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn’s rules or code of conduct, yes or no?” Stefanik asked Magill on Tuesday, to which Magill replied: “If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment.”
Stefanik slammed the response, saying: “Conduct meaning committing the act of genocide? The speech is not harassment? This is unacceptable.”
The other presidents also responded similarly, claiming that they “personally did not agree with the rhetoric used by those students” and were “committed to preserving free speech on campus”.
‘One down — two to go’
After Liz Magill stepped down from the post of university president, Stefanik said “One down. Two to go.”
Magill is the first president to resign over a response to campus antisemitism.
Meanwhile, several lawmakers and top officials across the aisle have hit out at the presidents for refusing to clearly state that the call for “Jewish genocide” breaches their codes of conduct around bullying or harassment.