MIT President outlines 'new steps' for 2024: What to know about Sally Kornbluth

Nearly a month after three university presidents were grilled by congressional lawmakers over questions regarding the presence of antisemitism on their campuses since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, only one university president remains at the helm. 

MIT President Sally Kornbluth still holds her position as university leader unlike Harvard University President Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, who have both resigned following a firestorm of criticism that included backlash for how they handled antisemitism on campus and, for Gay, accusations of plagiarism in her academic work.

All three leaders during the hearing refused to address in detail whether calling for the genocide of Jews violated their policies against bullying and harassment, USA Today previously reported. 

Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager, one of many individuals who previously called for the immediate resignation of the three university leaders wrote on X Tuesday, “Et tu Sally?” in reference to Kornbluth after news of the second resignation broke. 

New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who led some of the questioning at the congressional hearing also shared her thoughts on X, writing, “TWO DOWN. Harvard knows that this long overdue forced resignation of the antisemitic plagiarist president is just the beginning of what will be the greatest scandal of any college or university in history.”

When asked about recent developments, an MIT representative said Wednesday that, “our leadership remains focused on ensuring the work of MIT continues,” but would not officially comment on happenings at other universities.

Here’s what we know about the MIT President.

Claudine Gay resigns:Read Harvard president's full resignation letter

Who is Sally Kornbluth? 

Kornbluth, 64, is the current president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, making her the 18th president in the school’s history. She took the position in January of 2023,  succeeding L. Rafael Reif, who led MIT for a decade.

Before becoming MIT’s president, Kornbluth served as Duke University’s provost, according to the MIT website. 

In her nearly 30-year tenure at Duke, Kornbluth served the university in various capacities, including assistant professor of pharmacology and cancer biology, full professor, vice dean for basic science at the Duke School of Medicine before becoming provost in 2014.

The New Jersey native earned a degree in Political Science in 1982 from Williams College before earning a degree in genetics from Cambridge University in 1984. 

Kornbluth received a doctorate in molecular oncology from Rockefeller University about five years later, completing her training at the University of California San Diego,  according to the MIT website. 

She lives with her husband, MIT biology professor Daniel Lew at Gray House, a residence located on the university campus. The pair have two adult children.

ICYMI:University of Pennsylvania president resigns amid outrage over response to antisemitism

What did Sally Kornbluth say at the congressional hearing?

All three university leaders, including Kornbluth, offered carefully worded statements about how their respective institutions have handled a rise in antisemitism on their campuses since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and sparked the war.

Gay said that hateful speech was at odds with Harvard’s values and that calling for the genocide of Jews is antisemitic. But when pressed on whether it violates the code of ethics, she replied that “it can be, depending on the context. 

Magill responded to the same question by saying, “If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. Yes.”

Kornbluth also drew a distinction between speech and conduct, suggesting that calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the college’s rules “if targeted at individuals,” USA TODAY previously reported. 

"As an American, as a Jew, and as a human being, I abhor antisemitism, and my administration is combatting it actively. Since October 7th, my campus communications have been crystal clear about the dangers of antisemitism and about the atrocity of the Hamas terror attack," Kornbluth said at the hearing.

"Let me repeat what I said in my very first message to campus. In that video, I said, 'The brutality perpetrated on innocent civilians in Israel by terrorists from Hamas is horrifying. In my opinion, such a deliberate attack on civilians can never be justified.'"

Kornbluth outlines 'new steps' for 2024 at MIT:

In an open letter to the MIT community written Wednesday, Kornbluth outlines “new steps for a new year.” 

Kornbluth's letter says the past year allowed her the time to look at MIT up-close, which made her appreciate “the matter-of-fact problem-solving ethos, the willingness to name a problem, measure it, design a solution and keep iterating until it’s right,” according to the MIT website. 

“The Israel-Hamas war continues to cause deep pain for many around the world, including at MIT, and is an ongoing source of tension in our community,” Kornbluth wrote. 

Kornbluth noted that the university will spend the year resolving key issues, with the hope of making significant progress by the end of the semester. 

“We have been listening to our community and working steadily for many weeks to identify the issues that most urgently need our attention. As we begin this new year, I want to name the challenges I’m seeing and hearing about and put us on a path to solving them together,” Kornbluth wrote. 

Here is a look at the four-pronged approach: 

• Benchmarking and improving student disciplinary processes
• A shared understanding of the rights and responsibilities of free expression
• Making sure DEI programs effectively meet campus needs
• Targeted questions in a campus-climate survey