Former president of Northwestern University, Dr. Morton Shapiro, has decided to step down from his role as commencement speaker at Georgetown Law School following criticism from students regarding his pro-Israel stance.
Interim Dean Joshua C. Teitelbaum had announced last month that Shapiro would deliver the address at the May 17 ceremony, highlighting his insightful perspective on the current state of American society and university challenges.
However, many students quickly voiced their disapproval. They pointed out that Shapiro’s association with the law school was tenuous and labeled his views as “toxic.”
One student, Matt Latibashvili, expressed his strong feelings in an article for Georgetown Law’s student newspaper, acknowledging that Shapiro’s comments on the conflict were not only troubling but also disqualifying. He insisted that, rather than holding Israel accountable, Shapiro shifted the blame to media and universities for promoting the truth.
In light of the backlash, Shapiro voluntarily opted out of the commencement ceremony, which he had participated in numerous times before. He stated that the focus should remain on the graduates, who deserve to celebrate their achievements without distraction.
Shapiro has previously criticized higher education institutions for their handling, or lack thereof, of rising anti-Semitic sentiments, particularly during the Israel-Gaza conflict.
In his remarks about his withdrawal, Shapiro seemed taken aback by the choice of David Cole, a Georgetown Law professor and former ACLU national legal director, as his replacement. Cole had recently spoken out against Congressional hearings regarding anti-Semitism on college campuses, arguing that it was not necessarily anti-Semitic to defend Hamas’s right to respond to violence.
Shapiro acknowledged his surprise at the administration’s decision, suggesting that the university’s desire to refrain from political discussions during graduation ceremonies was at odds with appointing Cole as his successor.
