Carol Folt's recent announcement did not give the specifics of why she is leaving the University of Southern California (USC), but Folt has been criticized for the way the university mishandled the anti-Jewish protests on campus.
"USC, they violated a lot of their own policy when it comes to antisemitism and protecting Jewish students," notes Naya Lekht of The Institute for Global Studies of Antisemitism & Policy. "Last summer, during the encampment, the Los Angeles Police Department had to be called in because their own police could not police the students."
The university also opted to cancel its main graduation ceremony earlier this year due to apparent security concerns.
Still, Lekht does not think the bulk of the blame rests with Folt or the other beleaguered university presidents.
"I think what's really important to look at is how the administrators have allowed faculty to basically run universities and abuse their academic positions," the researcher submits.
Folt joins the presidents of Harvard, Penn State, MIT, and Columbia in resigning under pressure for allowing prolonged antisemitic protests on their campuses.
Meanwhile, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who helped lead congressional inquiries into campus antisemitism, has been nominated as President-elect Donald Trump's UN Ambassador.
