Martha E. Pollack, president of Ithaca, New York-based Cornell University, announced Thursday that she will step down on June 30, amid anti-Israel protests on campus as well as schools across the country.
Craig H. Kaiser, chairman of the Cornell University Board of Trustees, said in a prepared statement that President Michael I. Kotlikoff will become interim president on July 1, and that Mr. Pollack will be nominated by the Cornell University Board of Trustees at that time. He said he will be given the title of honorary president. She will serve in the role for two years as a search committee searches for the 15th president within six to nine months after Kotlikoff’s term ends.
“It has been an incredible privilege to serve as president of Cornell University. Few roles offer so many opportunities to make a positive difference in the world,” Pollack said in a statement announcing his resignation. “After seven fruitful and satisfying years as president of Cornell University, and after a 50-year career in research and academia, I am ready to begin a new chapter in my life. I am extremely grateful for the continued support of our faculty, students, staff, and alumni for their words of encouragement during my time as president, especially throughout this past academic year.”
Pollack helped found Cornell University’s Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, expanding the accessibility and affordability of a Cornell education, and launching the school’s first themed year celebrating free and open expression and exploration. He is said to have contributed to the launch of the.
Cornell University major donor withdraws funding from ‘toxic’ DEI culture, submits letter calling for president to resign
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul (center) accompanies Cornell University President Martha Pollack (left) to visit Cornell University’s Center for Jewish Life with students on October 30, 2023 in Ithaca, New York. ). On Thursday, Mr. Pollack announced his retirement. From her post at the university. (Lindsay France/Cornell University)
She also led the university through a global pandemic and terrorist attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza that shocked the nation and higher education.
Cornell Law School professor William A. Jacobson, president of the Legal Insurrection Foundation and founder of EqualProtect.org, told FOX News Digital that people typically reach an older age when they retire from a role or their term ends. He said he was retiring because he was nearing the end of his career. He also said that when someone resigns, it is normally expected to give more than two months’ notice, but he does not know if the resignation was submitted to the board much earlier.
Jacobson added that she was not aware of Pollack’s interactions with trustees, but could tell she was under “tremendous” pressure over the rise in anti-Semitism on campus.
Professor urges Cornell University to make campus safer for Jewish students: ‘Faculty is extremely anti-Israel’
William A. Jacobson, a clinical professor who joined Cornell Law School in 2007, called on Cornell’s Board of Trustees to support Jewish students. (Getty/FOX)
“My personal belief is that this is related to what has happened since October 7, with universities facing severe criticism for their handling of anti-Semitism on campus. “The school is the subject of a congressional investigation,” Jacobson said. and negative publicity regarding incidents on campus.
In one incident, Cornell University student Patrick Dye shot and killed a Jewish student on campus and threatened to cut his throat. The Justice Department said the threat was made on a discussion forum at Cornell University. Mr. Dye pleaded guilty to menacing.
In another incident, a Cornell University professor said he was “excited” and “energized” by the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel in which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people, including more than 30 Americans. He apologized for saying,
Cornell University professor Russell Rickford later apologized.
“I apologize for the poor choice of words I used in a portion of my speech intended to highlight grassroots African American, Jewish, and Palestinian traditions of resistance to oppression,” Rickford said in a statement. Ta. in the letter Published in the Cornell Daily Sun.
He went on to say that the language he used was “reprehensible” and did not reflect his values, adding: “Racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, militarism, fundamentalism, He denounced all systems that humanize, divide, and oppress.
These are just two examples of anti-Israel sentiment that Pollack failed to adequately address, Jacobson said.
“There were very aggressive protests on campus, which she tried to address without success. For example, anti-Israel students marched in groups with bullhorns through the school building. and chanted anti-Israel slogans and genocidal slogans against Jews. This encampment continues to go on far beyond what has gone on on other campuses. He’s a nice guy by all accounts, but he’s not really prepared to deal with the offensive campus events that have taken place since October.” Jacobson continued.
Conservative judge group vows not to hire Columbia University law students over anti-Israel protests
Cornell University students demonstrate on campus in Ithaca, New York, to raise awareness about kidnapped Israelis and Americans in Gaza on November 1, 2023. (Hannah Grossman/FOX News Digital)
Pollack’s aggressive DEI efforts, along with campus-wide anti-Semitism, have been called into question, resulting in one of the school’s major donors calling for her resignation.
in an open letter In January, Cornell University Trustee Emeritus and Counselor to the President John A. Linseth urged Kaiser and the Board of Regents to abandon the university’s “misguided approach” to DEI, and urged the university to abandon its “misguided approach” to DEI. He argued that the initiative had brought about “disgrace” rather than “excellence.”
“I am proud to be part of the Lindseth family, which spans multiple generations of Cornell alumni and donors, but I am deeply grateful to my alma mater for its disastrous engagement with DEI policies that permeate every field. “I am concerned about the recent decline in the quality of education provided by the University,” he wrote.
“I have spent years listening to Cornell University and its leadership, participating as a student, and learning about Cornell’s past exemplary projects, including the library (which I continue to fund). “The university is reformulating its approach to education by replacing the groupthink of DEI with Cornell’s original noble intentions,” he added.
The most radical anti-Israel Hamas-aligned moment has occurred on college campuses since October. 7 attacks
Cornell University student Patrick Dye is accused of threatening to rape and kill a Jewish student on an online bulletin board, according to a federal complaint. (Broome County Sheriff’s Office)
Jacobson has long been a critic of Cornell’s DEI program.
In October 2023, he called on the school’s board of governors to take action after a series of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incidents made Jewish students feel uncomfortable and unsafe on campus.
At the time, he urged trustees to pause new DEI initiatives, adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, and create a special independent commission to investigate antisemitism on campus. He called for the establishment of an association and argued that this is one of the impacts of the school’s DEI program.
Jacobson said Thursday that the trustees never responded to his request.
Fox News Digital also reached out to the trustees for comment on the request and Pollack’s departure, but was deferred to a statement released by the university.
Jacobson called on trustees to eliminate DEI programs and refocus the work of university professional staff away from group identities and toward the dignity of all individuals, regardless of race or other identities. He said that
Cornell University professor who was ‘elated’ after Hamas attack apologizes for ‘reprehensible’ comments
In the wake of Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, university and campus leaders and Jewish voices are sounding the alarm about anti-Semitism on American campuses. A Cornell University law professor is calling on the school to assess anti-Semitism on campus following anti-Israel events on multiple college campuses across the country. (Pat Greenhouse/Boston Globe via Getty Images/Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
In a statement to the Cornell University community announcing his retirement, Pollack said he began considering leaving the university last fall and made the decision during his December break. But every time she was ready to act on her decision, she had to pause because of events happening on her campus and other campuses across the country. She said there was.
“There’s so much more to Cornell than the turmoil that’s happening at universities across the country right now, and I hope we don’t lose sight of that,” Pollack said. “Local and world events are causing tremendous distress to students from a variety of backgrounds, including not only Jewish and Israeli students, but also Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim students. has worked vigilantly to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone. Our community includes members of all backgrounds, and I have been dedicated to that work long before the events of last year. I did.”
Ivy League school comes under fire after professor calls Israel attacks ‘exhilarating’: ‘Deeper problem’
Anti-Israel demonstrators rallied in front of New York University’s campus in New York on Friday.Protests on college campuses extend into three weeks as tensions rise across the US (Rashid Umar Abbasi, Fox News Digital)
She had one piece of advice for the Cornell community going forward.
“We must become more capable of being intellectually curious and open-minded, exploring different perspectives, and being willing to listen to those with whom we disagree. ‘You always have to consider the impact of what you say,’ and we have to enter the discussion carefully,’ Pollack said. “Yes, there are times when a position is so hateful that it doesn’t deserve a response, but there are many more times when views we tend to dislike deserve consideration, principled discussion, and, if necessary, rebuttal. “Communicating across differences is the only way forward for higher education, and indeed for our democracy.”
She added that the school has risen to the challenges over the past 159 years and will continue to rise to the challenges as it grows.
Pollack did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
But as for why she’s retiring, Pollack said she’s ready for a new chapter.
“I know there is a lot of speculation about my decision, but let me be as clear as possible: This decision is my own and mine alone,” she said. “After seven fruitful and fulfilling years as president of Cornell University, and after 50 years of her research and academic career, I am ready for a new chapter in my life.”
Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
