The president of University of Pennsylvania, M. Elizabeth Magill, resigned on Dec. 9, four days after she appeared before Congress and appeared to avoid the question of whether students who called for the genocide of Jews should be punished or not.

Support for Magill, already shaken in recent months over her approach to a Palestinian literary conference and the university’s initial response to the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, unraveled after her testimony. Influential graduates questioned her leadership, wealthy contributors moved to withdraw donations, and public officials besieged the university to oust its president.

By the evening of Dec. 9, a day before Penn’s board of trustees was expected to meet, Magill said that she would quit. Scott L. Bok, the board’s chairman, said in an email to the Penn community that Magill had “voluntarily tendered her resignation.”

Less than an hour later, Bok announced that he, too, had resigned, deepening the turmoil at one of the nation’s most prestigious universities.

 Magill is the first university president to step down in connection with the uproars that have engulfed campuses since the Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza. Other presidents remain under pressure. On Dec. 8, more than 70 members of Congress called for the firings of Magill and Claudine Gay of Harvard appeared alongside her in Washington on Dec. 12.

Although persisting through pressure from political and local opponents, Gay never resigned. 

But her resignation has alarmed faculty members worried about academic freedom. In response to Magill’s resignation, a group of Penn professors denounced what they saw as outside interference that imperiled the university’s integrity.

Magill, in a two-sentence statement on Dec. 9, made no reference to the outrage surrounding her testimony.

“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.”

Bok said that Magill, who became Penn’s president last year, would remain as the university’s leader until an interim president is chosen. She will also stay at Penn as a faculty member in the law school. Bok’s resignation took effect immediately, and the vice chair of Penn’s board, Julie Platt, assumed his post on an interim basis.

The departure of UPenn’s president signals the end of an era marked by achievements and challenges. As the university bids farewell, there’s an opportunity for reflection and growth. The community is poised to embrace change, build on past successes, and chart a course toward a future that upholds the values of innovation, diversity, and academic excellence.