Cornell University President Martha Pollack announced her resignation after seven years of months of anti-Semitic protests on campus.
He said his decision to leave had nothing to do with the polarizing political climate on campus or claims that he inadequately handled anti-Semitic protests on campus.
“I understand there will be a lot of speculation about my decision, so let me be as clear as possible: this decision is mine and mine alone,” she wrote in an email sent to the entire university.
“After seven fruitful and rewarding years as president of Cornell, and after a career in research and academia spanning five decades, I am ready for a new chapter in my life.”
Pollack, whose last day in office will be June 30, is now the fourth Ivy League president to resign in six months, joining the ranks of former Harvard president Claudine Gay and former UPenn president Claudine Gay. Liz Magill, who were ousted in part for their inadequate responses to campus anti-Semitism after October 7th.
Cornell University President Martha Pollack announced her resignation after seven years of anti-Semitic protests on campus.
Pollack said his decision to leave had nothing to do with the polarizing political climate or claims that he improperly handled anti-Semitic protests on campus.
Major donor Jon Lindseth called on the university to reevaluate its “misguided commitment” to DEI, arguing that it has led to the “disgrace” of the Ivy League institution.
In a separate announcement, it was revealed that the board had asked the university’s president, Michael I. Kotlikoff, to serve on an interim basis for the next two years.
This comes after one of Cornell University’s largest donors threatened to withdraw its funding in January unless Pollack resigned and the institution turned its back on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
In an open letter to the Board of Trustees, Jon Lindseth called on the university to reevaluate its “misguided commitment” to DEI, arguing that it has led to the Ivy League institution’s “disgrace” in recent years.
Lindseth and his family have long been prominent donors to the upstate New York school, but the Class of 1956 graduate now says he is “alarmed by the diminished quality of education offered lately by my alma mater due to their disastrous involvement in DEI policies. that have infiltrated every part of the university.
Despite the backlash over her DEI comment, Lindseth insists that favors ‘blacks’ at Cornell.
He called his response to multiple acts of overt anti-Semitism on campus in the wake of Oct. 7 “shameful.”
The disgraced president has been under public fire since stunning acts of anti-Semitism began occurring on her campus in the wake of Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel.
Lindseth said he believed the horrific displays of anti-Semitism, which included violent threats against Jewish students at the school and the kosher cafeteria, as well as an associate professor publicly declaring his joyful support for the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, are a manifestation of the progressive ideology that the school has adopted.
Russell Rickford, associate professor of history, took a leave of absence from Cornell after calling Hamas attack on Israel “exhilarating”
Pollack told the Cornell community that he had alerted the FBI about the threats.
“We take all threats seriously and are working closely with Cornell and our law enforcement partners at all levels to determine credibility, share information, and take appropriate investigative actions,” the agency wrote in a statement.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our communities and we will not tolerate violence motivated by hate and extremism.”