Penn’s Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action Michael Mann announced his resignation from the role on Monday after an almost 11-month term.
In a Sept. 29 announcement made on his personal website, Mann stated that his scientific advocacy work conflicts with Penn’s “established institutional neutrality policy.” The announcement came two weeks after Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) called for Penn to take action against Mann in light of his social media activity — including reposts and a since-deleted post of his own — regarding the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
A request for comment was left with Mann. McCormick did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Mann was named the inaugural vice provost for climate in November 2024. Two months before his appointment, Penn President Larry Jameson announced a policy of institutional neutrality — meaning that University leaders will not issue public statements on local or global events that do not have a direct impact on Penn.
In the Monday announcement, Mann wrote that his commitment to climate advocacy “at times feels in conflict with the nonpartisan role” of serving as a University administrator.
“Particularly at this moment in time, I don’t feel that I can forsake the public scholarship and advocacy that I am doing and have thus decided to step down from the VPC role,” Mann stated.
Mann wrote to the DP that the decision was motivated primarily by the release of his new book, “Science Under Siege,” and his ongoing book tour. The book, Mann said, is “very critical of some political figures.”
Provost John Jackson Jr. told The Daily Pennsylvanian that Mann was neither fired nor “driven out” of the position.
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“I think his position has been that it’s more and more difficult for him to do the kind of public intellectual work he wants to do while also being a University administrator at an institution that says we pride ourselves on institutional neutrality,” Jackson added.
Mann is widely recognized for his research on climate science and climate change. He first joined Penn in 2022 from Penn State University, where he was the director of the Earth System Science Center and a distinguished professor of atmospheric science.
He is an elected member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the United Kingdom’s Royal Society. In 2019, he won the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, which is known as the most prominent international award in the environmental science field. Mann is also a 2023 recipient of the John Scott Award from the Franklin Institute and the City of Philadelphia.
