Northeast

Cornell University president's retirement prompts speculation after tumultuous year: 'This is related'

Published

2 years ago

May 10, 2024

Cornell University president's retirement prompts speculation after tumultuous year: 'This is related'

Ithaca, New York-based Cornell University’s president, Martha E. Pollack, announced on Thursday that she will retire on June 30, as the campus grapples with anti-Israel protests, much like schools across the nation.

Cornell University Board of Trustees Kraig H. Kayser said in a prepared statement that Provost Michael I. Kotlikoff will step in as interim president starting on July 1, at which time Pollack will be given the title of president emerita by the Cornell Board of Trustees. She will serve in the role for two years, as a search committee looks for the 15th president within six to nine months of the end of Kotlikoff’s term.

“Serving as the president of Cornell has been an amazing privilege; there are few roles that afford so much opportunity to make a positive difference in the world,” Pollack wrote in a statement announcing her departure. “After seven fruitful and gratifying years as Cornell’s president — capping a career in research and academia spanning five decades — I’m ready for a new chapter in my life. I greatly appreciate the continued support of our Board of Trustees and the many faculty, students, staff and alumni who have shared words of encouragement through my time as president, especially over the past academic year.”

Pollack is credited with helping to create the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, expanding the accessibility and affordability of a Cornell education, and launching the school’s first-ever theme year celebrating free and open expression and inquiry, among other things.

MAJOR CORNELL DONOR PULLS FUNDING OVER ‘TOXIC’ DEI CULTURE, PENS LETTER CALLING FOR PRESIDENT’S RESIGNATION

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, center, joins Cornell University President Martha Pollack, left, for a visit with students at the Center for Jewish Living at Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., on Oct. 30, 2023. On Thursday, Pollack announced her retirement from her post at the university. (Lindsay France/Cornell University)

She also led the university through a global pandemic and the terrorist attack in Israel and subsequent war in Gaza, which sent shockwaves across the nation and in higher education.

Cornell Law School professor William A. Jacobson, who is also president of the Legal Insurrection Foundation and founder of EqualProtect.org, told Fox News Digital that people typically retire because they are aging out of their role or coming toward the end of their term. He also said when someone retires, you typically expect more than two months’ notice, though he was not privy of knowing whether she submitted her resignation to the Board of Trustees much earlier.

Jacobson added that he’s also not privy to Pollack’s interactions with the trustees, though what he could say was she has been under “tremendous” pressure over the rising antisemitism on campus.

PROFESSOR CALLS ON CORNELL TO MAKE CAMPUS SAFER FOR JEWISH STUDENTS: ‘FACULTY IS EXTREMELY ANTI-ISRAEL

William A. Jacobson, a clinical professor at Cornell Law School who joined the faculty in 2007, called on the Cornell Board of Trustees to help Jewish students. (Getty/FOX)

“My personal belief is that this is related to what has happened since October 7th, which is that the university has come under severe criticism for how it handled antisemitism on campus,” Jacobson said, explaining the school has been the subject of a congressional inquiry and negative publicity over incidents on campus.

In one incident, Cornell student Patrick Dai threatened to shoot Jewish students on campus and slit their throats. The threats were made in a Cornell University discussion forum, according to the Justice Department. Dai has pleaded guilty to making the threats.

In another incident, a Cornell University professor apologized for saying he was “exhilarated” and “energized” by the October 7 terror attacks in Israel, in which Hamas murdered more than 1,200 people, including over 30 Americans.

Cornell University professor Russell Rickford later issued an apology.

“I apologize for the horrible choice of words that I used in a portion of a speech that was intended to stress grassroots African American, Jewish, and Palestinian traditions of resistance to oppression,” Rickford said in a letter published in the Cornell Daily Sun.

He added that the language he used was “reprehensible,” and did not reflect his values, while also denouncing “racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, militarism, fundamentalism and all systems that dehumanize, divide and oppress people.”

These were just two examples of anti-Israel sentiment that Pollack failed to adequately address, Jacobson said.

“There have been very aggressive protests on campus that she has tried to get a handle on without success, such as anti-Israel students in groups marching through academic buildings with bullhorns, chanting anti-Israel slogans and genocidal slogans against Jews. There is an encampment now that has persisted long beyond what has persisted on other campuses. So, this is a president, who by all appearances, is a nice person, but who is not equipped to address the aggressive campus events that took place, really starting on Oct. 7,” Jacobson continued.

GROUP OF CONSERVATIVE JUDGES VOWS TO NOT HIRE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LAW STUDENTS DUE TO ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS

Cornell University students stage a demonstration on campus in Ithaca, N.Y., to raise awareness about kidnapped Israelis and Americans in Gaza on Nov. 1, 2023. (Hannah Grossman/FOX News Digital )

Along with antisemitism across campus, Pollack’s aggressive DEI initiatives have come under question, which resulted in one of the school’s major donors calling for her resignation.

In an open letter to Kayser and the Board of Trustees in January, Cornell emeritus trustee and presidential counselor Jon A. Lindseth urged the university to abandon its “misguided commitment” to DEI, claiming its embrace of such initiatives has yielded “disgrace” rather than “excellence.”

“I am proud to count myself one of several generations of Lindseths who are Cornell alumni and invested donors, but I am alarmed by the diminished quality of education offered lately by my alma mater because of its disastrous involvement with DEI policies that have infiltrated every part of the university,” he wrote.

“I have spent years hearing the stories of Cornell and its leadership, participating as a student, and sponsoring and funding some of the University’s exemplary past work, including the Library (which I continue to fund). I can no longer make general contributions until the university reformulates its approach to education by replacing DEI groupthink with the original noble intent of Cornell,” he added.

THE MOST EXTREME ANTI-ISRAEL, HAMAS-SYMPATHIZING MOMENTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES SINCE THE OCT. 7 ATTACKS

Cornell University student Patrick Dai is accused of threatening to rape and kill Jewish students on an online message board, according to a federal complaint. (Broom County Sheriff’s Office)

Jacobson has been critical of Cornell’s DEI program for a number of years.

In October 2023, he called on the school’s board of trustees to act after a series of antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents left Jewish students feeling uncomfortable and unsafe on campus.

At the time, he called on the trustees to pause new DEI initiatives, adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism and form a special independent commission to investigate antisemitism on campus, which he argued was among the effects of the school’s DEI programs.

Jacobson said Thursday he never heard back from the trustees on his request.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the trustees for comment on the requests, as well as Pollack’s retirement, but was deferred to the university’s publicly released statements.

Jacobson said he is calling for the trustees to do away with DEI programming and refocus the activities of the professional staff of the university away from group identity and toward the dignity of every individual without regard to race or other identities.

CORNELL PROFESSOR WHO WAS ‘EXHILARATED’ AFTER HAMAS ATTACK ISSUES APOLOGY FOR ‘REPREHENSIBLE’ REMARKS

College and university campus leaders and Jewish voices are sounding the alarm on antisemitism at U.S. colleges following Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israeli civilians. A Cornell University law professor is calling for the school to evaluate antisemitism on campus following anti-Israel events across multiple college campuses across the country. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images/Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

In a statement to the Cornell University community announcing her retirement, Pollack said she began deliberating about leaving last fall and made the decision over the December break. But each of the three times she was ready to act on her decision, she said she needed to pause because of the events occurring on her campus and other campuses across the U.S.

“There is so much more to Cornell than the current turmoil taking place at universities across the country right now, and I hope we do not lose sight of that,” Pollack said. “Local and world events have caused enormous pain for students of many backgrounds, including our Jewish and Israeli students, as well as our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim students. We have been vigilant in working to ensure the safety and well-being of all members of our community from all backgrounds, work I’ve been dedicated to long before the events of the past year.”

IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL SLAMMED AFTER PROFESSOR CALLS ISRAEL ATTACK ‘EXHILARATING’: ‘A MUCH DEEPER PROBLEM’

Anti-Israel protesters rally outside of New York University’s campus in New York on Friday. College and university campus protests have stretched into a third week as tensions rise across the U.S. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

She offered one piece of advice to the Cornell community going forward.

“We must develop more capacity to seek out different perspectives and be willing to listen to those with whom we differ, doing so with intellectual curiosity and an open mind; at the same time, we must always consider the impact of what we say to one another; and we must thoughtfully engage in debate,” Pollack said. “Yes, there are instances in which a position is so hateful that it does not deserve a response, but there are many more occasions where views we are predisposed to dislike deserve consideration, principled argument, and, if needed, refutation. A willingness to communicate across differences is the only way forward for higher education, and indeed for our democracy.”

The school, she added, has risen to challenges over the past 159 years, and will continue to do so, while also thriving.

Pollack did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

But when it came to why she was leaving, Pollack said she was ready for a new chapter.

“I understand that there will be lots of speculation about my decision, so let me be as clear as I can: This decision is mine and mine alone,” she said. “After seven fruitful and gratifying years as Cornell’s president — and after a career in research and academia spanning five decades — I’m ready for a new chapter in my life.”

Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum and Brian Flood contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.

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New Hampshire

Sen. Denise Ricciardi & Jeff Rogers: Stopping super speeders can save lives in New Hampshire

Published

38 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

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Sen. Denise Ricciardi & Jeff Rogers: Stopping super speeders can save lives in New Hampshire

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New Jersey

N.J. group demands review of Trenton immigration arrest operation at auto shop

Published

44 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

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N.J. group demands review of Trenton immigration arrest operation at auto shop

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-Mercer, said in a statement on Facebook that she has been briefed about the incident and her office is monitoring the situation.

Pazmino said her organization is calling on members of the community to come together.

“Brown and Black immigrant communities and nonimmigrant communities are welcome, and should be uniting against this force,” she said.

She is also calling on local officials to assist relatives of those taken into custody.

“We need to support families affected by these kidnappings, with mutual aid, donations and anything else you think will help each other,” Pazmino said.

A woman identified as Andrea, while holding her 1-year-old daughter, Genesis, tearfully spoke in Spanish about the anguish she feels and her fears about the future without her husband Christian, one of the men taken into custody. A friend, who translated her word into English, said Christian was a good and honest man.

“If he used to see a neighbor carrying something heavy, he would run to help them. If a friend needed a favor, he didn’t ask, he just did it,” she said.

Andrea (left) whose husband, Christian, was taken into custody during a raid on a Trenton auto repair shop, holds her 1-year-old daughter, Genesis, while translator Ashley Batz reads her statement in English. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

She said “his daughter was his whole world. He would wake up to her and give her kisses every morning. He would play with her after a long day at work. He loved us and protected us. He didn’t do anything wrong, so why was he taken?”

The Rev. Erich Kussman, St. Bartholomew’s pastor, said the entire Lutheran Church stands with the family.

“Anything you need, you can come to us. I want you to know that. I will stand with you, and we will do what we can to protect you, because that’s the call of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

“Standing with ICE is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ, hands down,” he added. “Fifty-one times the scriptures tell us to welcome the immigrant and foreigner as one of our own. If you’re not living true to that gospel, the words of Christ himself, you are not a Christian, no matter what you claim to be.”

With immigration enforcement activity on the rise in New Jersey, lawmakers have proposed several bills to expand protections for immigrant communities. One measure called the “Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act” would allow individuals to file a lawsuit against ICE agents who violate their constitutional rights.

Asma Elhuni speaking at a podium — Asma Elhuni, an organizer with Resistencia En Acción NJ speaks at a press conference at St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church in Trenton, joined by pastor Erich Kussman. The group was responding to the detention of three workers at Agudo’s Repair Shop on Feb. 20, 2026. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

Another proposed bill would require any business that operates a private prison or detention facility in the state to pay a tax equal to 50% of the taxpayer’s gross receipts derived from the operation of the facility during the previous year. The bill also stipulates all revenues generated would go to an “immigration protection fund.”

Recently proposed legislation would prohibit ICE agents from ever holding a public job in the Garden State, and New Jersey U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim are proposing legislation to prevent new funding for the Department of Homeland Security from being used to purchase a warehouse in Roxbury, New Jersey.

Requests for comment from ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service were not immediately returned.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 2 Day results for Feb. 27, 2026

Published

1 hour ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

The Pennsylvania Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

11-18-39-43-67, Mega Ball: 23

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 2 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Day: 4-7, Wild: 5

Evening: 8-8, Wild: 0

Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Day: 6-7-7, Wild: 5

Evening: 0-0-3, Wild: 0

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Day: 7-2-1-4, Wild: 5

Evening: 5-7-3-1, Wild: 0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Day: 8-4-5-4-4, Wild: 5

Evening: 1-1-9-8-7, Wild: 0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

04-14-16-20-38

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Treasure Hunt numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

02-04-08-13-30

Check Treasure Hunt payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Match 6 Lotto numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

10-12-23-31-33-46

Check Match 6 Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

03-04-13-28-42, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Sign the Ticket: Ensure your ticket has your signature, name, address and phone number on the back.
Prizes up to $600: Claim at any PA Lottery retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
Prizes from $600 to $2,500: Use a Claim Form to claim at a retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
Prizes over $2,500: Mail your signed ticket with a Claim Form or in person at a Lottery Area Office (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Lottery Headquarters is currently not open to the public. Visit the PA Lottery website for other office locations near you.

When are the Pennsylvania Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: 1:35 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. daily.
Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. daily.
Treasure Hunt: 1:35 p.m. daily.
Match 6 Lotto: 6:59 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
Powerball Double Play: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Pennsylvania editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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