Penn weighs potential replacement for ousted president Magill: report

The University of Pennsylvania is searching for a new president after Liz Magill resigned Saturday under pressure from members of the school’s administration and donor base amid controversy over her handling of antisemitism on campus.

FOX Business’ Charles Gasparino wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that some members of the Penn board of trustees or the board itself are looking into potential candidates to replace Magill. Gasparino wrote that the rumored candidates include Dr. Zeke Emanuel, Jon Huntsman and Vijay Kumar.

Emanuel currently serves as the vice provost for global initiatives at Penn and chairs the Dept. of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. Huntsman is a former governor of Utah and U.S. ambassador to China and Russia whose family has donated millions to Penn over the years, as his father attended the school and donated over $50 million to its Wharton Business School and a program on international studies and business. Kumar is currently the dean of Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Magill resigned Saturday after a months-long controversy over her administration’s handling of antisemitism on campus that began when the school hosted the "Palestine Writes" event in September that one alumni donor criticized as an "antisemitic Burning Man festival." Hamas’ terror attack against Israel on Oct. 7 prompted heightened scrutiny of her handling of the festival and campus demonstrations that left Jewish students feeling intimidated on campus. 

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Several billionaire Penn donors including Apollo Management CEO Marc Rowan, AQR Capital Management co-founder Clifford Asness and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman announced they would halt donations until the university’s leaders changed course or stepped aside.

On Wednesday, Magill faced questions posed by members of the House Education and Workforce Committee last week about whether calling for genocide against Jews violates the school’s speech policies against bullying and harassment.

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In an exchange with Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Magill said that such rhetoric would violate the school’s rules "if it is directed and severe, pervasive, it is harassment" and added that it’s a "context-dependent decision." Stefanik responded, "That’s your testimony today? Calling for the genocide of Jews is depending on the context?"

Following her congressional testimony, Magill attempted to clarify her remarks by releasing a video saying her response was focused on university policies and the constitutional protections of free speech but wanted to state clearly that "a call for genocide of Jewish people is threatening, deeply so." She added that in her view, such rhetoric "would be harassment or intimidation" and called for Penn’s campus policies to be "clarified and evaluated" to ensure the university is a "safe, secure, and supportive environment" for all members of the community.

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Despite Magill’s effort to remedy her testimony, calls for her resignation or termination and donor backlash intensified further. Huntsman called for her removal and Ross Stevens, billionaire Penn alum and CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management, informed the school he would rescind a $100 million gift to Penn that went toward a financial innovation center. Stevens added that he would reconsider the withdrawal of his donation only after Penn replaces Magill.

Amid the mounting pressure, Magill announced on Saturday that she would resign as UPenn president and wrote in a brief statement that, "It has been my privilege to serve as president of this remarkable institution. It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions."

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She will temporarily remain in her role until an interim president is appointed, after which she will continue to work as a tenured faculty member at UPenn’s Carey Law School.