Although the House hearing was the catalyst for Liz Magill’s resignation, the Penn president had been under immense pressure from some wealthy donors for weeks amid a heated debate over free speech and antisemitism that escalated following the Hamas terror attacks against Israel.
Wealthy donors pulled their support for the Ivy League school and vowed to keep their checkbooks closed until Magill stepped down.
The donor backlash was triggered by a Palestinian literature festival hosted on campus in September.
To the dismay of some alumni and support of others, Magill allowed the Palestine Writes Literature Festival to go forward even as she acknowledged it would feature some speakers with a history of making antisemitic remarks.
Donor resentment about the event escalated rapidly after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. A week after the attacks, Magill further distanced the university from the festival and acknowledged it should have more forcefully and quickly condemned the speakers’ statements.
