  Liebowitz earned a reputation for his support of Jewish students after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, but struggled with fundraisingBy Gabby Deutch Brandeis University President Ronald Liebowitz, who garnered headlines last year for taking a strong stance against antisemitism after Oct. 7, resigned on Wednesday morning following a vote of “no confidence” passed by the Brandeis faculty, according to a letter he sent to the university community. The Tuesday faculty vote, which passed by just 10 votes, 159-149, described “a consistent pattern of damaging errors of judgment and poor leadership.” Liebowitz’s decision to step down comes after a chaotic year for the university, marked by some controversy over his handling of anti-Israel protests, as well as more mundane matters of university management that frustrated many in the Brandeis community. The no-confidence resolution described both, according to a draft copy published in the Brandeis student newspaper earlier this month: “The results this year include badly handled budget shortfalls, failures of fundraising, excessive responses to student protests, indifference to faculty motions, and the recent damaging staff layoffs.” Liebowitz banned the campus group Students for Justice in Palestine last November, making Brandeis the first private university to do so after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. He stood by that decision in an interview with Jewish Insider in February, despite receiving pushback from some on campus. You May Have MissedIN THE LINE OF FIREIsraelis from Tel Aviv to Haifa brace for Hezbollah attacksHaifa’s Bnai Zion hospital moves patients underground, while residents of central Israel try to continue their routine despite Hezbollah missile; Israelis evacuated from Lebanon border call for proactive military moves to allow them to return home. Read more...MCCORMICK MOMENTUMDave McCormick making inroads with Jewish voters in PennsylvaniaThe Pennsylvania GOP Senate nominee has been attacking Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) for not getting a vote on the Antisemitism Awareness Act to the Senate floor.        |
9.25.2024
🚨Brandeis President Ronald Liebowitz resigns after faculty no-confidence vote
