Cornell president to step down, third leader of Ivy League school this year

Cornell University President Martha E. Pollack has announced her resignation, making her the third leader of an Ivy League college to step down this year.

Pollack, a computer scientist, made the announcement Thursday and said she'll leave the Ithaca, New York, school in June, according to The Hill newspaper. 

She leaves after seven years on the job. 

“It is only after extensive reflection that I have determined that this is the right decision,” Pollack wrote in her announcement.

She said she began considering a departure about five months ago but "had to pause because of events on our and/or on other campuses.”

“But continued delay is not in the university’s best interests, both because of the need to have sufficient time for a smooth transition before the start of the coming academic year, and because I do not want my announcement to interfere with the celebration of our newest graduates at Commencement in just a few weeks,” she also said.

The announcement come at the a challenging time for Ivy League colleges and other higher-education institutions across the country, amid protests sparked by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza that began in October 2023. 

Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned in early January amid accusations of plagiarism and her school’s response to growing antisemitism. In December 2023, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned following backlash she got for her comments during her testimony before Congress on the matter, The Hill also reports.

Cornell faced scrutiny after temporarily suspending four student protesters last month. And the Education Department said in November that it was investigating the institution over allegations of anti-Muslim and antisemitic harassment.

Pollack, who insisted her decision to leave is her own, will  be temporarily replaced by Provost Michael Kotlikoff.