The president of Sonoma State University was placed on leave Wednesday, a day after he posted a controversial campus-wide message about the war between Israel and Hamas in which he said the university would pursue “divestment strategies” and endorsed an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
California State University Chancellor Mildred Garcia announced the decision in a statement posted on the CSU website, saying Sonoma State President Mike Lee was fired for his “insubordination” in making the statement without “appropriate approvals”.
Protesters at the pro-Palestinian student camp celebrated when Lee on Tuesday published a letter to the Rohnert Park campus of about 6,000 students, which satisfied enough of their requests that activists agreed to dismantle their camp Wednesday night.
“SSU's demands have been met!” said a post on SSU's Students for Justice in Palestine Instagram with the caption “brick to brick, wall to wall” that showed screenshots of Lee's letter.
In his letter, Lee promised to pursue “divestment strategies that include the search for ethical alternatives” in consultation with pro-Palestinian activists and said he supported an academic boycott of Israel.
“SSU will not pursue or participate in any study abroad programs, faculty exchanges, or other formal collaborations that are sponsored by or represent the academic and research institutions of the Israeli state,” Lee's Tuesday letter said.
Lee's statement stood out. While other universities have recently said they will study the possibility of divesting from arms companies, including UC Berkeley and UC Riverside, nearly all in the United States have rejected calls to specifically target Israel or to boycott formal exchange or research partnerships with Israeli universities.
In rejecting such calls, universities have cited their support for academic freedom and anti-discrimination policies. Some have also noted that a 2016 state law signed by then-Governor Jerry Brown prohibited giving state grants or contracts worth more than $100,000 to state universities that targeted Israel by supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
Lee's statement immediately drew criticism from students, parents and Jewish community groups.
Speaking at a California Jewish Public Affairs Committee conference in Sacramento on Wednesday, California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who serves on the CSU board of directors, criticized campuses for moving forward with agreements to quell protests.
“Each campus is handling these situations in their own way, with inconsistencies and, frankly, sometimes reaching agreements that they really don't have the authority to reach,” said Kounalakis, who spoke before Lee was placed on leave.
Kounalakis, a Democrat, said campuses were “woefully underprepared” for the recent protests.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who made a video appearance at the same event Wednesday to promote his plan to counter anti-Semitism, said last week that he “did not support divestment.”
Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), co-chairs of the California Jewish Legislative Caucus, praised Garcia's decision and said in a statement that Lee's support for an academic boycott “was totally unacceptable and evidence that former President Lee is unfit to lead one of our great state institutions. “We look forward to working with Chancellor Garcia and the CSU Trustees to pursue a different path that promotes learning, respectful dialogue, mutual respect, inclusion and peace.”
In her letter announcing that Lee was stepping aside, Garcia said she was “deeply troubled” by his words.
“Our role as educators is to support and uplift all members of California State University. “I want to acknowledge how deeply concerned I am about the impact the statement has had on the Sonoma State community, and how challenging and painful it will be for many of our students and community members to see and read,” Garcia said. “The heart and mission of CSU is to create an inclusive and welcoming place for all we serve, not to marginalize one community over another.”
In his own letter upon his departure, Lee apologized, saying that he had “marginalised other members of our student population” and that “I realize and take full responsibility for the harm this has caused.” “I deeply regret the unintended consequences of my actions.”
“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.
It was unclear how long Lee will be out. He has been in office for 20 months, about half the time as acting president.
In an interview with The Times, kinesiology professor Lauren Morimoto said she supported Lee.
“So far, the Academic Senate has not commented on Mike Lee's announcement. However, I will meet with the Board of the Asian Pacific Islander American Faculty and Staff Association and we stand in solidarity with Mike Lee and the student protesters…” said Morimoto, former president of the academic senate. “I will ask to be added to tomorrow's agenda to present a resolution in support of Mike Lee and the student protesters and the demands they were able to negotiate with the university.”
Staff writers Colleen Shalby and Mackenzie Mays contributed reporting.
