Out and About (Sort of): Resignations by Howard Freedlander

The resignations during the past five weeks of Penn’s Liz Magill and Harvard’s Claudia Gay have shaken this avid Penn alumnus to the core of his sacred beliefs in the quality and societal impact of elite Ivy League schools. I must change my opinions consistent with unmistakable disruption.

After three months of disturbing immersion in the turmoil that engulfed my alma mater, I became puzzled by the dichotomy between free and hateful speech. I wondered why universities feel compelled to assume public positions on antisemitism and foreign belligerence. I thought anew about the qualities that define university presidents. I began to question board composition.

Here’s what I have decided, at least until my opinions, under a barrage of pundit-driven commentary, become fungible. My beliefs are no longer absolute. Academia is grappling with change resulting from unforeseen antisemitism and piercing criticism from deep-pocketed alumni.

Free speech is inviolate—until it provokes violence and insecurity. While believing that free speech must include uncomfortable ideas, it must not be allowed to turn physically harmful as it did in Charlottesville, Va. in 2017 and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Fear by students to walk across campuses, as was true at Penn, is unacceptable.

As repositories of informed knowledge about foreign conflicts and the despicable roots of antisemitism, universities are seen as purveyors of credible responses. After observing the University of Pennsylvania’s response to a Palestinian literary festival in mid-September and the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, I wonder if University of Chicago’s policy on neutrality is preferable to controversial statements by university presidents and consequent condemnation by affronted critics.

Presidents of private, elite universities are not merely fundraisers and promoters. That lesson landed heavily on my preconceptions. They must lead, overcoming contention and abhorrent student behavior. They must act. They must hold students accountable. They must eschew a cancel culture and ensure that the faculty comprises more than token conservative professors.

University must hold themselves accountable. They cannot hide behind past practices.

At the same time, wealthy donors must edit themselves. When they close their checkbooks to generate academic change, they too are exercising free speech. However, they are using money in a transactional way to disrupt universities that they supposedly love. Their support is conditional, as events disclosed. I found their behavior objectionable.

Were I exceedingly wealthy and fell out of love with Penn, I simply would redirect my funds to another charity. I would not go public with my gripes. That is exactly what the ringleader of discontent did. He sought the resignation of Liz Magill and the board chair. And he succeeded.

And, undoubtedly, universities must rely on common sense, touched upon, but not dependent on legal advice; the tragic miscalculation by the presidents of Penn, Harvard and M.I.T. to answer Rep. Elise Stefanik’s hostile and theatrical questions at congressional hearing onDec. 12, 2023, with legalese was embarrassing. Stefanik enhanced her right-wing, firebrand reputation by acting harshly and rudely, albeit effectively.

Lastly, I believe that board governance must undergo change. Yes, wealthy check-writers are necessary and desirable. But so are small donors who offer keen understanding of campus environments and real-world concerns. Board members must speak up and suggest caution and due diligence.

In Penn’s case, I believe that a politically attuned trustee would have urged Magill to seek advice from a lobbyist, not an attorney. She was entering a hostile political arena, not a scholarly seminar. I repeat: while, yes, she was ambushed by Stefanik, she and Gay were vulnerable for lack of savvy preparation.

I bemoan Magill’s and Gay’s resignations. They deserved better treatment. They became liabilities, affecting donations and admissions. I hope that schools like Penn and Harvard avoid, if possible, recriminations of their right-wing critics and assertive donors and select leaders who understand how to justify the perceived excellence of their institutions.

The path forward will be difficult. Expectations by students, faculty and alumni will be unrelenting. Penn and Harvard must strive to warrant their elite status.

Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. After 44 years in Easton, Howard and his wife, Liz, moved in November 2020 to Annapolis, where they live with Toby, a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel who has no regal bearing, just a mellow, enticing disposition.