The University of Pennsylvania’s board of trustees is tapping J. Larry Jameson, its longest serving dean, to become the school’s interim president, replacing Liz Magill, following her resignation last weekend.
Jameson is dean of UPenn’s medical school and will take the helm of the Ivy League institution at a moment of crisis.
The board of trustees said Jameson will be appointed as interim president effective Tuesday and remain in that role until a permanent president is named.
“Penn is fortunate to have the benefit of Dr. Jameson’s experience and leadership during this time of transition,” Julie Platt, the interim chair of UPenn’s board of trustees, said in an announcement sent Tuesday afternoon.
Platt praised Jameson as a “consummate University citizen” and a “collaborative, innovative and visionary leader with extensive engagement with each of Penn’s 12 schools.”
Both of UPenn’s leaders as of a few days ago – board chair Scott Bok and Magill – departed Saturday just a week after Magill’s disastrous testimony before Congress on antisemitism.
Magill stepped down under immense pressure on Saturday after struggling to answer whether calls for genocide against Jews violates university rules. Magill had remained interim president until Tuesday. Penn did not have a succession plan in place despite a flood of calls for Magill’s resignation this week, a source told CNN.
Magill will remain on Penn’s faculty as a tenured professor at Penn Carey Law School.
Jameson is UPenn’s longest-serving dean and previously denounced calls for genocide as a form of hate, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Jameson also serves as executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System.
“Please join me in thanking Dr. Jameson for stepping into this role and for guiding Penn during this challenging time,” Platt said.
Jameson will have his hands full until Penn names a permanent leader. Despite Magill’s resignation, the antisemitism problem on Penn’s campus – and many other college campuses across America – is ongoing.
Criticism of Penn’s response to antisemitism escalated even before Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Donors lashed out against administration in the wake of the Palestine Writes literature festival held at Penn in September, an event that the administration acknowledged features speakers who had made antisemitic statements in the past.
As incidents of antisemitism rose on campus in recent months, Magill and the Penn administration struggled to respond to and put a stop to hate speech.
This story has been updated with additional context.
