President Liz Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott L. Bok resign; Julie Platt is named Interim Chair.
On Saturday, Board of Trustees Chair Scott L. Bok announced President Liz Magill’s voluntary resignation as President of Penn. Magill will remain in her position until an interim president is appointed, and plans for Penn’s interim leadership will be shared in the coming days. She will remain a tenured faculty member at Penn Carey Law.
Magill said in a statement, “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.”
Shortly after Magill’s resignation, Bok tendered his own resignation as Chair of the Board of Trustees.
In a statement announcing his departure, Bok shared his belief that “now was the right time to depart.”
The Executive Committee of Penn’s Board of Trustees announced that Julie Platt, the Vice Chair of the University of Pennsylvania’s Board of Trustees, has been named Interim Chair while a permanent replacement is identified.
In a message to the community, the Executive Committee said, “As current Vice Chair, Julie was the clear choice, and we are grateful to her for agreeing to serve in this capacity during this time of transition.”
The committee shared plans to immediately undertake a process, in consultation with the full Board, to make a recommendation for the next Chair to the Executive Committee before the spring term begins.
The committee concluded, “We share your commitment to this extraordinary University, and while this is a challenging time, the Penn community is strong and resilient, and together, we will move forward.”
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