UPenn Board of Trustees Chairman resigns following university president’s exit

The chairman of University of Pennsylvania’s Board of Trustees stepped down from his role minutes after University President Liz Magill resigned Saturday.

The Daily Pennsylvanian, the university’s student-run newspaper, reported that Board of Trustees Chairman Scott Bok resigned from his post just minutes after Magill announced her resignation on Saturday. Both resignations come after Magill came under fire alongside other university presidents for her answers on addressing antisemitism on campus during a congressional hearing last week. 

“Today, following the resignation of the University of Pennsylvania’s President and related Board of Trustee meetings, I submitted my resignation as Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, effective immediately,” his announcement read. “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 his announcement that Magill made a “very unfortunate misstep” during the hearing, adding that “it became clear that her position was no longer tenable” after appearing before the congressional committee.

“The world should know that Liz Magill is a very good person and a talented leader who was beloved by her team. She is not the slightest bit antisemitic.” Bok said. “Working with her was one of the great pleasures of my life. Worn down by months of relentless external attacks, she was not herself last Tuesday.”

“Over prepared and over lawyered given the hostile forum and high stakes, she provided a legalistic answer to a moral question, and that was wrong. It made for a dreadful 30-second sound bite in what was more than five hours of testimony,” he continued.

Magill, alongside the college presidents of Harvard and MIT, said during the hearing last week that it would depend on context whether comments calling for genocide of Jewish people would be considered harassment. Calls quickly grew for Magill to resign following the hearing from Pennsylvania politicians and the school’s alumni.

“It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution,” Magill said. “It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions.”

The comments also prompted criticism from the White House and cost the University of Pennsylvania a $100 million donation.