May 10 (UPI) — Cornell University President Martha Pollack announced she plans to resign, ending a 7-year tenure at the Ivy League institution.
Pollack, 65, confirmed that her last official day on the job will be June 30, in an open letter published Friday on the university’s website.
“It is only after extensive reflection that I have determined that this is the right decision,” Pollack wrote in the letter, adding she initially made the decision last December but pushed pause because of “events on our and/or on other campuses.”
“But continued delay is not in the university’s best interests, both because of the need to have sufficient time for a smooth transition before the start of the coming academic year, and because I do not want my announcement to interfere with the celebration of our newest graduates at Commencement in just a few weeks,” she wrote.
She also downplayed any suggestion of being forced out.
“I understand that there will be lots of speculation about my decision, so let me be as clear as I can: This decision is mine and mine alone,” Pollack wrote in the letter.
“After seven fruitful and gratifying years as Cornell’s president — and after a career in research and academia spanning five decades — I’m ready for a new chapter in my life.”
Pollack did not directly mention any incidents involving the university, but it was one of several placed on a list of institutions being investigated by the Department of Education for Discrimination.
In November, a Cornell student was arrested for posting anti-Semitic threats against the Ivy League school’s Jewish community. Federal officials later charged the 21-year-old man with “posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications.”
Cornell, along with fellow Ivy League institutions Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, are being investigated after the department announced in November it was looking into five complaints alleging anti-Semitic harassment and two alleging anti-Muslim harassment.
Several American universities have canceled or toned down graduations as a result, to avoid potential unrest.
University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned from her post a month later amid the fallout and harsh criticism.
Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrations have taken hold on campuses across the United States, leading different reactions from different institutions.
“There is so much more to Cornell than the current turmoil taking place at universities across the country right now, and I hope we do not lose sight of that,” Pollack wrote.
Pollack’s resignation comes after University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned in December following testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives on responding to anti-Semitism on university campuses. Harvard University President Claudine Gay who also testified at that hearing and faced accusations of plagiarism resigned in January.
“There will be plenty more to do over the coming months and years. Higher education has come under attack from many quarters, and our core values have faced enormous pressure,” Pollack wrote.
“Indeed, if I have one piece of advice for the Cornell community going forward, it is this: We must develop more capacity to seek out different perspectives and be willing to listen to those with whom we differ, doing so with intellectual curiosity and an open mind; at the same time, we must always consider the impact of what we say to one another; and we must thoughtfully engage in debate.”
