Billionaire entrepreneur Marc Rowan is calling for the leaders of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) to stop donating to the university over its alleged failure to condemn antisemitism amid the ongoing war in Israel.
Rowan, the CEO of private equity firm Apollo Global Management, wrote in an op-ed on Wednesday that UPenn failed to condemn an event held on campus last month that included speakers with a history of making antisemitic comments.
“Why is UPenn repeating tragic mistakes of the past? Words of hate and violence must be met with clear, reasoned condemnation, rooted in morality from those in positions of authority,” he wrote.
“Elite academic institutions hold a special place in our society, with their pedigreed histories, impressive faculties and extensive resources. The embrace of antisemitism and other forms of discrimination by these institutions legitimizes and reinforces hate, racism and, ultimately, violence. UPenn is not alone among academic institutions in its failure to condemn all forms of hatred, including antisemitic hatred,” he continued.
Rowan is one of the university’s wealthiest donors and supporters. He also chairs the board of advisors at UPenn’s Wharton School.
This comes after the Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel and invaded towns along the Gaza border earlier this month, killing at least 700 people. The attack prompted Israel to declare war against the terrorist group with a ruthless aerial campaign that has flattened homes, schools, medical institutions, and government buildings in the Gaza Strip.
UPenn President Elizabeth Magill and UPenn Provost John Jackson, Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday that they were “devastated by the horrific assault on Israel by Hamas.”
“These abhorrent attacks have resulted in the tragic loss of life and escalating violence and unrest in the region,” the university said.
Rowan also demanded all UPenn alumni and supporters “who believe we are heading in the wrong direction to “close their checkbooks” until Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok both step down from their posts.
“It is time for the trustees to begin moving UPenn in a new direction. Join me and many others who love UPenn by sending the university $1 in place of your normal discretionary contribution, so that no one misses the point,” the Apollo CEO concluded in his op-ed.
