SUNY Purchase president to retire amid criticism over handling of anti-Semitism claims
SUNY Purchase President Milagros Peña announced her retirement after accusations of inadequately addressing anti-Semitism on campus.
The decision comes after a no-confidence vote by faculty and student criticism over her handling of pro-Palestine demonstrations and vandalism targeting Jewish students.
The president of the State University of New York’s (SUNY) Purchase campus, Milagros Peña, announced that she will retire, following accusations of an inadequate response to anti-Semitism at the school.
“After considerable reflection and discussion about what is best for me and my family, I informed Chancellor over the summer that this 2024-2025 academic year will be my last year as president,” Peña wrote in a statement announcing her retirement.
“I have mixed emotions about my decision to retire as president after the spring semester, because, though we still face challenges as a community, we have accomplished a great deal together and our shared mission of providing access to a high quality, transformative public education is as important as ever,” Peña continued.
87 percent of the faculty voted in June that they had “no confidence” in Peña as president of the school, calling for her to step down, according to The Algemeiner.
SUNY Purchase had extensive pro-Palestine demonstrations during the spring semester, including a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” that Peña eventually cleared, leading to the arrest of 70 students.
Esti Heller, a former student at SUNY Purchase, wrote an article in The Algemeiner on Sept. 11 criticizing Peña for failing to respond to anti-Semitism at the school.
Heller described two incidents, one in which “a vandalized Israeli flag was adorned with a classic blood libel,” and a second in which a structure the school’s Hillel had built “was intentionally overturned just one day after its construction.”
Heller continued to say that, at first, “Peña was incredibly supportive,” but after “zero follow-up and several requests for updates,” it became clear to her that Peña’s support was an “empty promise.”
On Aug. 20, Heller and another student filed a Title VI complaint against SUNY Purchase with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for its anti-Semitism response.
[RELATED: UPDATE: Prof accuses CUNY of retaliation due to his complaints against anti-Semitism]
“Countless acts of vandalism were largely ignored, the only response being facilities staff who were forced to spend their day power-washing pavement in the freezing rain,” Heller wrote in her article.
Campus Reform reported earlier this year about a divestment protest at another SUNY campus: SUNY Buffalo.
“I want SUNY to leave the companies that support Israel,” a pro-Palestine demonstrator said during the protest, while other students accused the SUNY Buffalo administration of complicity in “genocide.”
Campus Reform has contacted the SUNY Purchase for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
