Cornell College President Martha Pollack is ending her 7-year tenure as the pinnacle of the Ivy League college in upstate Ithaca — following months of turmoil together with demonstrations and threats to Jewish college students.
The 65-year-old insisted that her departure — efficient June 30 — is unrelated to the anti-Israel protests and brazen shows of antisemitism, insisting that she thought of saying her retirement within the fall and winter.
“I needed to pause due to occasions on our and/or on different campuses,” Pollack stated in her resignation assertion launched Thursday.
“I perceive that there will probably be numerous hypothesis about my determination, so let me be as clear as I can: This determination is mine and mine alone.”
Cornell provost Michael Kotlikoff will function interim president starting July 1.
In probably the most egregious incident, a Cornell College engineering scholar was arrested for threatening to kill Jews on campus final October.
Patrick Dai pleaded guilty final month to posting threatening messages to the Cornell part of a web-based dialogue discussion board.
In one other disturbing incident, a controversial Cornell College historical past professor, Russell Rickford, described Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist assault on Israel as “exhilarating” and “energizing.”
The mishandling of claims of antisemitism triggered the ouster of the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard, and now the pinnacle of New York’s different Ivy League college — Minouche Shafik of Columbia College in Manhattan — is on the warmth seat over campus rioting.
One among Pollack’s campus critics greeted her introduced departure with a “good riddance.”
“Cornell has been a campus in turmoil, seemingly rudderless within the face of rising antisemitism fed by hyper-aggressive anti-Israel activism, together with an encampment that continues to be in the primary quad,” stated Cornell Legislation College professor William Jacobson, founding father of the right-leaning EqualProtect.org.
“The Board additionally must introduce range of viewpoint among the many college, which has grow to be a monoculture and echo chamber of far left ideology, with nearly no dissenting voices left,” he stated.
Pollack stated Cornell — like the remainder of society — over the previous few years needed to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, George Floyd protests and a “terrorist assault and subsequent battle that has reverberated throughout our nation and particularly throughout increased schooling.”
“The latter has raised plenty of essential points that we’re all grappling with, from antisemitism, Islamophobia, and different types of bigotry, to free expression, tutorial freedom, and easy methods to foster a various, equitable, and inclusive neighborhood,” she stated in her assertion.
“I think many of those points are going to be with us for years to come back.”
She defended her dealing with of the divisive protests and threats and stated Cornell has a “strong basis” to enhance upon.
“We have now labored arduous to uphold our dedication each to free expression and to being a neighborhood of belonging, the place everyone seems to be welcome and secure….. We have now been vigilant in working to make sure the protection and well-being of all members of our neighborhood from all backgrounds, work I’ve been devoted to lengthy earlier than the occasions of the previous 12 months,” she stated.
