June 12, 2026
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The University of Pennsylvania has not yet announced who will lead the Ivy League school following J. Larry Jameson's planned departure next summer.
J. Larry Jameson plans to end his tenure as president of the University of Pennsylvania next summer.
The Ivy League educator said Friday that will step down at the end of the academic year on June 30, 2027. Jameson has held the position since late 2023, when his predecessor Liz Magill resigned amid backlash to her Congressional testimony on antisemitism.
MORE: Horse-drawn carriage rides, once a tourism staple in Old City, are now banned in Philly
Though he was initially appointed interim president, Jameson agreed to stay through the 2026 school year or until the Penn board of trustees had found a replacement. He did not indicate who would take his place Friday, but said board chair Ramanan Raghavendran would share "additional information about the search process."
"When I accepted the honor of leading Penn, my goal was to help restore stability during unanticipated leadership transitions, refocus our community on Penn's mission, and strengthen Penn for the future during a challenging time for higher education," Jameson wrote in a message to the Penn community. "With your partnership, resilience, and dedication, we have accomplished these objectives and much more. Penn has tremendous momentum and is exceptionally well positioned for the future."
Before serving as Penn president, Jameson was the executive vice president of the university's health system and dean of its medical school. He joined Penn's staff in 2011 after many years at Northwestern University and Harvard Medical School.
Jameson took the job following intense scrutiny of the college's response to antisemitism. Penn faced criticism for hosting the Palestine Writes festival in September 2023, an event that featured speakers like Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, who wore a "Nazi-style costume" at concerts in Berlin. Prominent alumni and donors also denounced Penn leadership for not forcefully condemning Hamas's attacks on Israel the following month.
Magill weathered calls for her resignation during this time, but did not step down until after her early December testimony before Congress. Her responses to lawmakers' questions — particularly an exchange with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) about whether calling for the genocide of Jews qualified as harassment — drew condemnation from Gov. Josh Shapiro and other politicians across parties. Magill resigned days after the hearing.
Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt
| @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice
Have a news tip? Let us know.
