Why did Liz Magill resign? Will Harvard President Claudine Gay step down? Here's what we know.

University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned on Saturday after facing an uproar over her recent testimony about antisemitism on college campuses.

Scott Bok, chair of Penn’s board of trustees announced in an email that Magill voluntarily submitted her resignation, though she will stay on as president until an interim leader is appointed.

“It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution. It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions,” Magill said in a statement shared by Bok.

Here’s what you need to know about Magill’s testimony, the criticism she faces and what the fallout means for colleges and universities across the country.

What did UPenn President Liz Magill tell Congress?

Three university presidents – Magill, Harvard University President Claudine Gay and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth – testified last week before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The university leaders answered questions about their handling of antisemitic incidents on college campuses.

Colleges and universities have reported an increase in antisemitic incidents since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.

The furor directed at the three college leaders was triggered in part by their response to questions about whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates their schools’ code of conduct against bullying and harassment.

Magill, Gay and Kornbluth all gave carefully worded responses, despite repeated attempts by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to get them to answer.

“If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. Yes,” Magill said.

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How did lawmakers respond to Magill and other university presidents?

Stefanik said last week called the answers the university presidents gave “unacceptable and antisemitic,” urging them to resign.

After Magill’s resignation, the New York Republican shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, ‘One down. Two to go.”

House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chair Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. announced after the hearing that the committee is launching a formal investigation into the schools, including potential subpoenas.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, also called Magill’s testimony “unacceptable” and urged trustees there to consider Magill’s job.

How did Magill respond to the backlash?

Magill walked back her comments in a video message on X last week.

“In that moment, I was focused on our university’s longstanding policies, aligned with the U.S. Constitution, which say that speech alone is not punishable,” Magill said. “I was not focused on – but I should have been – the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetuate.”

“It’s evil. Plain and simple,” she said, adding that the school’s policies need to be “clarified and evaluated.”

Are Claudine Gay and Sally Kornbluth going to resign too?

It’s not clear. Several lawmakers have called for their resignations, and pressure has ramped up on the college campuses.

Harvard last week posted a statement from Gay on X, clarifying her position after the heated hearing.

“There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students,” Gay said Wednesday. “Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account.”

Kornbluth did not directly address her testimony in a note to “members of the MIT community” after the hearing, but she said “I hope you will join with me in standing up against hate of any kind, anywhere.”

Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, Zachary Schermele, Michael Collins and Eduardo Cuevas

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why did Liz Magill resign? Will Claudine Gay step down? What to know