Blemished Presidents Deserve a Second Chance

Upon hearing the news that Elizabeth Magill had resigned from the University of Pennsylvania presidency, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik gracelessly announced: “one down, two to go.”¹ The chairman of the university’s board characterized his president’s decision to leave her post as “voluntary” before quickly stepping down himself.² Magill’s tepid performance before the hostile congressional committee led to her departure. Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned within a month of her equivocations before the committee. Her history of real though minor examples of plagiarism contributed to her departure. Of the three presidents who testified on December 5, 2023, only MIT’s Sally Kornbluth received her board’s strong support and remained president.