Over the past four years, Penn has faced significant administrative turmoil, including a series of high-level resignations in the face of increasing national scrutiny.
In the summer of 2021, former United States President and former Penn professor Joe Biden nominated then-Penn President Amy Gutmann and former University Board of Trustees Chair David Cohen as U.S. ambassadors during his administration. In January 2022, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations confirmed Gutmann’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to Germany, and she soon resigned her position as Penn’s president. Gutmann’s 18-year presidency was the longest of any Penn president and was marked by significant campus and endowment expansion.
Scott Bok, a 1981 College and Wharton graduate and 1984 University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School graduate, was selected to replace Cohen as chair of the Board of Trustees in November 2020. Former Penn Provost Wendell Pritchett was selected to serve as Penn’s interim president until June 2022. Pritchett was Penn’s first Black president and helped lead Penn’s transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic during his five months in the position.
In March of 2022, Liz Magill was unanimously confirmed by the Board of Trustees, beginning her term as the ninth University president on July 1, 2022.
At the time, Magill was described by the Trustees as the “clear consensus candidate” to replace Gutmann. Magill expressed a desire to increase the University’s interdisciplinary academic pursuits while also preparing Penn for greater engagement with the local Philadelphia community and the world.
Just over a year into her presidency, Magill was met with mounting criticism as allegations of antisemitism escalated. In September 2023, the University hosted the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, eliciting national criticism. Following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, several members of the Board of Trustees — already critical of the Penn’s response to the festival — called for Magill and Bok to resign. Dozens of major donors withdrew their financial support in protest of University administration. Marc Rowan — the chair of the Wharton School’s Board of Advisors — alleged that Bok pushed trustees critical of Magill to resign.
On Dec. 5, 2023 Magill testified before Congress in a hearing on campus antisemitism that prompted widespread criticism from students, alumni, and politicians. Four days later, Magill stepped down as president. Bok announced his resignation minutes after.
Magill’s 18-month term was the shortest of any permanent Penn president, and her resignation was the first of any non-government-appointed Penn president. Magill later expressed regret over her testimony, describing it as “a mistake.”
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In December 2023, the Board of Trustees appointed current Penn President Larry Jameson to serve as the University’s interim president. Jameson was the fourth person to lead Penn in just two years. A month later, Ramanan Raghavendran was selected to replace Bok as chair of the Board of Trustees.
During Jameson’s 15-month tenure as the University’s interim leader, Penn faced significant student activism, federal policy changes, and national scrutiny.
In April 2024, the Gaza Solidarity Encampment was erected on College Green by pro-Palestinian student organizers and members of the Philadelphia community. Jameson issued multiple statements about what he described as “blatant violations of University policies” and “credible reports of harassing and intimidating conduct” from the protesters.
After 16 days, Penn and Philadelphia police officers swept the encampment and arrested 33 individuals — including nine Penn students — at the discretion of senior University administrators.
In the wake of the encampment being disbanded, then-Faculty Senate Chair Tulia Falleti resigned from her position, and faculty members expressed concern about the legitimacy of shared governance systems at Penn.
Jameson defended the sweep as an “unfortunate but necessary step.”
In January, 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump began his second presidential term. Soon after, the Trump administration announced a cap on indirect costs research funding from the National Institutes of Health, which could cost Penn $240 million.
In March, the White House froze $175 million in federal funding to Penn, citing the University’s decision to allow 2022 College graduate and transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to participate and compete on the women’s swim team during the 2021-22 season.
On March 13, the Board of Trustees voted to install Jameson as Penn president in a permanent capacity through July 2027. During the announcement, Raghavendran praised Jameson’s leadership through “challenges facing higher education.”
