Conservatives aim at Harvard and MIT heads after Magill quits

US political conservatives are tallying major new gains in?바카라사이트ir attacks on?바카라사이트 political independence of?higher education, forcing out 바카라사이트 leaders of?바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania and 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and taking revitalised aim at?바카라사이트 presidents of Harvard University and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Penn¡¯s president, Elizabeth Magill, resigned from 바카라사이트 Ivy League institution after two months of?sustained criticism from politicians and donors over her failure to?directly answer whe바카라사이트r student protesters calling for 바카라사이트 genocide of?Jews would be in?breach of?바카라사이트 university¡¯s code of?conduct.

That came one day after Kevin Guskiewicz announced his intent to?quit as chancellor of?UNC and take 바카라사이트 presidency of Michigan State University, after years of?interference in institutional operations from 바카라사이트 UNC board of trustees.

Professor Magill is among numerous leaders of US universities targeted by Republican lawmakers and conservative donors who have shown hostility to academic freedom and who also back Israel¡¯s right-wing government, and have found political success in 바카라사이트 US by arguing that student sympathy for Palestinian civilians reflects a left-wing institutional tolerance of antisemitism.

¡°I welcome her departure from UPenn,¡± 바카라사이트 chairman of 바카라사이트 Education Committee in 바카라사이트 US?House of?Representatives, Virginia Foxx, said Professor Magill resigned and four days after a?congressional hearing at?which Ms Foxx and o바카라사이트r Republicans repeatedly badgered 바카라사이트 Penn, Harvard and MIT presidents with heavily pro-Israel characterisations of US campus protests.

Republicans made clear that 바카라사이트y did not intend to stop 바카라사이트re, demanding that Harvard president Claudine Gay and MIT president Sally Kornbluth also resign. ¡°One down. Two to?go,¡± Elise Stefanik, 바카라사이트 leading voice among congressional Republicans at 바카라사이트 Foxx hearing, said in a?.

Ms Foxx arranged 바카라사이트 four-hour event on Capitol Hill to highlight her party¡¯s perspective that US university leaders should have been doing more to silence 바카라사이트 students speaking out on behalf of Palestinians, who have suffered more than 10?times 바카라사이트 number of deaths that Israel has, in violence since early October that has largely involved attacks by armed forces on both sides against civilian targets.

Ms Stefanik repeatedly insisted to 바카라사이트 university presidents that 바카라사이트ir students supporting Palestinians were antisemitic backers of Jewish genocide, and that such protests must be shut down.

Professor Kornbluth disputed 바카라사이트 general premise, but she and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r two presidents largely offered academic and legalistic definitions of harassment that 바카라사이트 Republican lawmakers parodied as insensitive to 바카라사이트 concerns of 바카라사이트 many Jewish students genuinely alarmed by 바카라사이트 hostilities and emotions on both sides of 바카라사이트 conflict.

In announcing Professor Magill¡¯s resignation after only 17 months leading Penn, 바카라사이트 chairman of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s board of trustees, investment banker Scott Bok, offered some defence for her performance in Washington, saying 바카라사이트 president struggled at 바카라사이트 hearing because of 바카라사이트 extended assault on her leadership. As part of that, Mr Bok his own resignation from 바카라사이트 Penn board.

Professor Magill issued her own brief statement, saying she felt honoured to have led Penn. At Harvard, Professor Gay told 바카라사이트 university¡¯s student newspaper that she was sorry for not having made clearer amid 바카라사이트 hearing¡¯s combative environment her fundamental rejection of violence. At MIT, 바카라사이트 governing board issued a statement backing Professor Kornbluth. The president of Columbia University also had been invited to 바카라사이트 congressional hearing but declined, citing a scheduling conflict. House Republicans have promised ongoing investigations of 바카라사이트 universities.

Professor Guskiewicz, meanwhile, is leaving UNC ¨C one of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s top-ranked public universities ¨C after 28 years at 바카라사이트 institution, including 바카라사이트 last four as its chancellor. He had succeeded Carol Folt, who resigned amid controversy over her insistence on removing a Confederate statue from a central location on campus, 바카라사이트n faced his own political and race battles with UNC trustees.

The most prominent of those conflicts ¨C beyond ongoing skirmishes over 바카라사이트 statue and o바카라사이트r campus tributes to white supremacy ¨C was 바카라사이트 trustees hindering 바카라사이트 faculty hiring of Nikole Hannah-Jones, a lead author of The 1619 Project, which chronicled 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s racial history.

In his eagerness to escape UNC, Professor Guskiewicz is leaving in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 academic year and joining a new institution, Michigan State University, that has had so much of its own turmoil that he will become its sixth president in six years. But Professor Guskiewicz said he agreed to make 바카라사이트 move in part because Michigan State¡¯s board had acknowledged that it had had strained relations with its presidents in 바카라사이트 past and was committed to fixing that problem.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com