In the past few days, more than 50 current and emeritus Trustees gathered for two, virtual conversations. These were not formal board meetings, which require public notice and are held in a public forum with current voting Trustees, but rather opportunities for President Magill to update and seek guidance from Penn's leadership volunteers, past and present.
At these gatherings, the Trustees present discussed the terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel, condemning the horrific atrocities and expressing solidarity with the Jewish community. They also talked through the impact this challenging moment is having on Penn's campus, including the recent antisemitic incidents and speakers. President Magill provided a briefing on the University's response, sharing her recent community messages, describing support for students on campus, and outlining plans to enhance education and training to combat antisemitism on campus. She committed to communicating progress toward these plans broadly to the Penn community.
The unanimous sense of those gathered was that President Magill and her existing University leadership team are the right group to take the University forward.
Scott L. Bok, Chair, Penn Board of Trustees