California University President Placed on Leave After Agreeing to Boycott Israel

The California State University system chancellor said the agreement was made ‘without appropriate approvals.’
California University President Placed on Leave After Agreeing to Boycott Israel
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a protest in San Francisco, California, on Nov. 12, 2023. Jason Henry/AFP via Getty Images
Bill Pan
Bill Pan
Reporter
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The president of California’s Sonoma State University has been placed on leave after promising to work with pro-Palestinian protesters toward the university’s financial and academic boycott of Israel, a decision he said was made unilaterally.

In a May 14 message to students and faculty, Sonoma State’s president Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee revealed details of the terms he brokered with protesters in exchange for ending their encampment on the campus lawn, which had persisted since April 26.