Magill resigns, heat still on Harvard and MIT presidents

Dec 11, 2023

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QUICK FIX

MAGILL RESIGNS — University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill on Saturday voluntarily stepped down from her role amid intense backlash following last week’s House education panel hearing on antisemitism on campus. Magill agreed to remain in her role until an interim president is selected, according to a statement from Penn board of trustees Chair Scott Bok. He also resigned Saturday.

— “It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution,” Magill said in the statement. “It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni and community members to advance Penn’s vital mission.”

— Magill, along with Harvard President Claudine Gay and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, participated in a contentious, more than five-hour grilling from lawmakers Tuesday over their response to antisemitism on their campuses.

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University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill reads her opening statement on Capitol Hill on Dec. 5, 2023.

Liz Magill reads her opening statement on Capitol Hill on Dec. 5. | Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Here are some notable reactions:

— Rep. Elise Stefanik, who led the toughest questioning at the hearing and called for all of the presidents to be fired, wrote on X that Magill’s “forced resignation” is only the beginning for addressing antisemitism on college campuses. “One down,” Stefanik said. “Two to go.”

— But not all groups celebrated Magill’s resignation. Jonathan Friedman, director of free expression and education at PEN America, said they hope her resignation “does not serve as an invitation for politicians or donors to try to exert undue control over our higher education institutions.”

— “President Magill’s resignation is testament to the dilemmas of maintaining a campus that both upholds uncompromising free speech protections and facilitates an open, equitable environment for all students, regardless of race, religion or nationality,” Friedman said. “We should not hold university leaders to impossible standards, nor reward combative approaches by campus constituencies that overlook the genuine challenges involved.”

— The Penn chapter of the American Association of University Professors also expressed concern over the ouster, and urged the institution's next leader to “defend the principles of shared governance and academic freedom.”

“And they must correct what has become a dangerous myth suggesting that the defense of academic freedom and open expression is in any way contradictory to the fight against antisemitism,” the group said.

— “Saturday Night Live” also took a stab at spoofing the hearing. Heidi Gardner played Magill, Chloe Fineman played Kornbluth and Ego Nwodim played Gay. That’s not all: SNL also had Stefanik played by Chloe Troast, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) played by Molly Kearney, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) played by Michael Longfellow and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) played by Bowen Yang.

— What’s next for the other two presidents: It’s unclear whether Gay or Kornbluth will resign, though the pressure is still on for them amid a newly announced House investigation into the universities. More than 70 lawmakers, including three Democrats, sent a letter urging the boards of Harvard, UPenn and MIT to remove their leaders. About a dozen Democrats, in a different letter, pressed the boards to update their codes of conduct.

So far, Kornbluth has received the backing of her board, who said last week: “She has our full and unreserved support.”

IT’S MONDAY, DEC. 11. WELCOME TO WEEKLY EDUCATION. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE NEW FAFSA. Drop me a line at bquilantan@politico.com. Send tips to my colleagues Mackenzie Wilkes at mwilkes@politico.com, Juan Perez Jr. at jperez@politico.com and Michael Stratford at mstratford@politico.com. And follow us: @Morning_Edu and @POLITICOPro.

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Congress

HOUSE TO MARKUP BIPARTISAN SHORT-TERM PELL BILL — Foxx, the chair of the House education committee, scheduled a markup for Tuesday on bipartisan legislation that would allow students to use Pell Grants to pay for education programs as short as eight weeks long, versus the current 15-week minimum, our Michael Stratford reports.

— The bipartisan deal was unveiled last week by Foxx and Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the top Republican and Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, along with top subcommittee Democrat Mark DeSaulnier of California and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik.

— The bill would allow all types of institutions to participate in the new Pell Grant expansion. But state workforce boards and college accreditors would first have to sign off on the program. And the programs would have to show they’re meeting certain metrics on graduate earnings, job placement and completion.

In the Courts

NAVAL ACADEMY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION LAWSUIT HEADS TO COURT — A federal court in Baltimore on Thursday afternoon will hear Students for Fair Admissions’ request to block the United States Naval Academy from considering an applicants’ race in admissions decisions while legal proceedings are underway.

— Lawyers on behalf of the anti-affirmative action group, whose Supreme Court case struck down race-conscious admissions practices at Harvard, are arguing that the Naval Academy has “no justification for using race-based admissions” when using race in admissions is unconstitutional for all other colleges across the country. The group is similarly suing West Point.

— The high court said the Harvard opinion could not address admissions at military academies because of “potentially distinct interests that military academies may present.”

— “One of the things that's unique about the military is that the entry point of college admissions is particularly determinative to the military's candidate pool for positions all the way up through a general,” said Sarah Hinger, a senior staff attorney for ACLU’s Racial Justice Program. Her group filed an amicus brief last week in support of the Naval Academy, which as of Sunday had yet to file its response brief.

— “That point where the military is deciding who to admit to the academies is a critical decision point not just for the makeup of the academy itself and the experiences of cadets or midshipmen on the college environment, but to determining who's going to be in the pool of candidates who's going to be leading the military in 30 and 40 years,” Hinger said.

— The 28-page lawsuit was filed in the Northern District Court of Maryland. Also listed as defendants: the Defense Department, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, U.S. Naval Academy Acting Superintendent Fred Kacher and Naval Academy Dean of Admissions Bruce Latta. Expect more coverage from your host on Thursday.

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MOVERS AND SHAKERS

— National Promise Neighborhoods Coalition will announce its formation today as a new national bipartisan group that advocates for the Promise Neighborhoods initiative, an Education Department program that helps kids in high poverty communities. The coalition wants to increase federal funding and improve federal policies for Promise Neighborhoods.

Members of the coalition include: the Delta Health Alliance in Mississippi, Mission Economic Development Agency in San Francisco, Partners for Rural Impact in Kentucky and SBCS (formerly South Bay Community Services) in the San Diego area.

JOIN WOMEN RULE ON 12/12: For centuries, women were left out of the rooms that shaped policy, built companies and led countries. Now, society needs the creativity and entrepreneurship of women more than ever. How can we make sure that women are given the space and opportunity to shape the world’s future for the better? Join POLITICO's Women Rule on Dec. 12 for Leading with Purpose: How Women Are Reinventing the World to explore this and more. REGISTER HERE.

Syllabus

— How Texas schools grapple with budget deficits after Legislature punts major funding: Austin American-Statesman

— Maine’s poorest students still face burdens, despite state’s free community college program: Portland Press Herald

— UW Regents vote down DEI and buildings deal brokered with Republican leaders: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

— “Uprooted” explores how university expansion and eminent domain led to Black land loss: ProPublica, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO

— Report shows major setbacks in education in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over: NPR

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Just 64% of students who enroll in a four-year higher education program graduate within six years, and more than one in three drop out altogether. Our current federal higher education system leaves far too many students with federal student debt and no degree. Sallie Mae is committed to helping students not only access but complete their higher education. Read more.