University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill listens throughout a listening to of the House Committee on Education on Capitol Hill on Dec. 5.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

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Mark Schiefelbein/AP

University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill listens throughout a listening to of the House Committee on Education on Capitol Hill on Dec. 5.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Liz Magill, the president of the University of Pennsylvania, resigned on Saturday — simply days after her congressional testimony on antisemitism drew fierce backlash from college students, school and donors.

Scott Bok, the chair of the college’s board of trustees, introduced the choice in a letter to the school community. Bok additionally submitted his resignation.

“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 stated in a press release, in response to Bok’s letter.

Bok submitted his personal resignation letter, writing: “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 added that he stands with Magill, who he described as a “good person” and “not the slightest bit antisemitic.”

“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,” Bok wrote.

He added that, he and Magill “concurrently” determined it was her time to step down.

Magill will keep on as interim president till a brand new individual is appointed, in response to Bok. Magill may also stay a tenured school member on the Penn Carey Law School. The college will share particulars about interim management “in the coming days,” Bok stated.

Magill’s resignation comes lower than a 12 months and a half since she was appointed as president.

On Tuesday, Magill and the presidents of Harvard and MIT testified earlier than Congress about how they’re defending college students from antisemitism on their campuses. Criticism shortly adopted round how the college presidents answered the query of whether or not “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate the college’s code of conduct.

After Magill’s feedback, six members of Congress from Pennsylvania despatched a letter to the varsity’s board of trustees calling for Magill’s resignation. Ross Stevens, a hedge fund supervisor, threatened to drag a $100 million donation from the University of Pennsylvania.

In a press release, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who heads the House Education Committee which led the listening to, stated she authorised of Magill’s resignation.

“President Magill had three chances to set the record straight when asked if calling for the genocide of Jews violated UPenn’s code of conduct during our hearing on antisemitism. Instead of giving a resounding yes to the question, she chose to equivocate,” Foxx stated on Saturday.

Concerns over Magill’s management has been mounting for months — even earlier than the warfare between Israel and Hamas broke out. In September, Magill was criticized for an occasion on campus which had invited audio system with a historical past of antisemitic feedback and conduct. The occasion, which centered on celebrating Palestinian tradition, was additionally scheduled to finish simply earlier than the start of Yom Kippur, a Jewish vacation.

NPR’s Sequoia Carrillo contributed reporting.