UPenn chairman Scott Bok faces possible no-confidence vote after antisemitism backlash: sources

Scott Bok, the embattled chairman of University of Pennsylvania’s board of trustees, is facing a possible no-confidence vote over accusations he has failed to address raging antisemitism across the Ivy League school’s campus, sources told On The Money.

Bok – whose day job is being CEO of New York investment bank Greenhill & Co. – is now the target of a pressure campaign from former UPenn trustee Marc Rowan, the billionaire CEO of Apollo Global Management who has urged donors to “close their checkbooks” until school leadership resigns.

The trustees were scheduled for meetings on Thursday and Friday – and at least one member has been actively lobbying for a no-confidence vote to end Bok’s three-year stint at the helm of the board, according to communications reviewed by On The Money. 

“I favor a no-confidence vote on Scott’s leadership,” one trustee wrote in an email chain reviewed by On The Money. “I request a confidential vote as soon as possible, but not later than the Friday breakfast on 11/3 on one simple question: Should Scott Bok continue as chair.”

The trustee added, “Scott should voluntarily step down for 2 simple reasons – his leaving has the best chance of de-escalating this crisis, and unfortunately, his integrity is in question.”

In response, Bok referred questions to UPenn, which forwarded a statement from Bok in support of UPenn President Liz Magill.

“The unanimous sense of those gathered was that President Magill and her existing University leadership team are the right group to take the University forward,” Bok said in the statement.

A UPenn spokesperson also pointed to a Wednesday announcement that UPenn President Liz Magill announced details of a new Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism.

Some UPenn alumni said it was too little, too late.

“It should not have taken this much time or pressure for President Magill to initiate the plan, nor does the plan negate the complete void of levership demonstrated by President Magill and Board Chair Scott Bok,” Vahan Gureghian, a former UPenn trustee who resigned last month, said in a statement.

It appears the trustees have no immediate plan to oust Magill, as it is easier to replace a board chair than a university president, sources said. The chair will be chosen from the ranks of existing trustees while finding a new president often requires a lengthy search that can leave a school rudderless.

In the meantime, angry trustees have a recommendation for Magill: “Liz, my suggestion for you is two-fold: 1 – say we will never knowingly allow hate speech on University facilities, and 2- Apologize for allowing an event with hate speech to occur at a University sponsored event,” a trustee wrote in the email chain.

Many trustees on UPenn’s board believe Rowan’s efforts have been critical in forcing action on the issue, but others are cautious. 

“The issue is whether stepping down should be orderly and not in response to the demands of a ‘rich donor’ or whether his continuing to stay in this position will perpetuate the crisis at Penn,” one trustee said. “Some worry about the precedent.” 

While Rowan is a former trustee, he isn’t currently on the board — and therefore can’t vote on the matter. Meanwhile, some trustees feel strongly that Rowan needs to relent for Penn to move forward. 

“Will this crisis end with a change to the Board Chair?” The letter adds. “Answer: Possibly, but only if Marc suspends his campaign.”