California university president resigns after agreeing to academic boycott of Israel
San Francisco: Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee, president of Sonoma State University in California, resigned on Friday, one day after California State University (CSU) officials placed him on leave for “unilaterally” announcing that the campus would sever academic and financial ties with Israel.
CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia said that Lee “has informed me of his decision to retire”, after she labelled Lee’s action “insubordination” and named an acting president on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The heart and mission of the CSU is to create an inclusive and welcoming place for everyone we serve, not to marginalize one community over another,” Garcia said in a statement on Thursday.
Lee had brokered an agreement with campus pro-Palestinian students who set up tents on the school’s campus. He publicly apologized on Wednesday evening and said he acted without the approval of CSU leaders.
Lee had been the president of Sonoma State University for less than two years, following serving as an administrator and business professor at Sacramento State University for 28 years.