The president of Sonoma State University has retired from his position after being suspended for delivering a controversial campus-wide message about the war between Israel and Hamas.
California State University Chancellor Mildred Garcia said in a statement Thursday that President Ming Tung “Mike” Lee informed her of his decision to retire. Garcia placed Lee on leave for “insubordination” on Wednesday, a day after she posted a message supporting a boycott of Israeli universities and said the university would pursue “divestment strategies.” Garcia said Lee did not receive approval for the message.
In a letter to the community, Lee apologized for the “unintended consequences of my actions” and acknowledged that his message had not been reviewed by CSU officials.
“I want to be clear: the message was drafted and sent without the approval or consultation of the Chancellor or other system leaders. The points outlined in the message were mine alone and do not represent the views of my colleagues or the CSU,” Lee wrote.
Amy Bentley-Smith, director of strategic communications and public affairs at Cal State, said “there is no written policy” when it comes to the chancellor's office's approval of communications from campus leaders related to the Israel conflict. and Hamas.
“The chancellor and presidents have been in constant communication during campus protest activities with the intent that decisions at the university level be made in consultation with the chancellor's office and align not only with university values and mission shared, but also with the applicable policies of the CSU system. and state and federal laws,” Bentley-Smith said.
While the university system's 23 campus presidents report to the chancellor, they are considered executive officers of their respective campuses and have some autonomy over campus decisions.
Also on Friday, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) sent a letter to Garcia and University of California President Michael V. Drake, calling for accountability when a university leader appeals to “anti-Semitic camp demands.”
“There is an urgent need to take system-wide action, at both UC and CSU, to restore order on campus, stop the adoption of [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] policies and, where appropriate, appoint new campus leaders,” wrote Kiley, who previously called on Lee to resign.
Other state lawmakers had expressed concern about Lee's message. Sen. Bill Dodd's (D-Napa) office contacted the chancellor's office on Wednesday to ask if Garcia had approved the message, press secretary Paul Payne told The Times.
Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) also expressed opposition.
“This is horrible and wrong,” Wiener told KRON-4 this week.
The chancellor said she will continue to work with interim president Nathan Evans and the board of directors during this “transitional period.” In a statement to the Sonoma State community, Evans said Lee's retirement will not overshadow Saturday's graduation activities.
“We will create spaces and places to process President Lee's retirement and other recent events as a community in the coming days and weeks. For now, I encourage all of us to focus on our graduates and those who support them,” Evans said.
Lee worked at Sacramento State for 28 years. He came out of brief retirement in 2022 to become Sonoma State president after Judy Sakaki resigned amid protests over sexual harassment and accusations of retaliation against her and her husband.
Times staff writer Jaweed Kaleem contributed to this report.
