Sonoma State University President Mike Lee will retire and inform officials a day after he is placed on leave about an email he sent about the divestment deal he made with campus protesters from Israel.
CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia confirmed Lee’s plan to retire in a statement posted Thursday on the California State University website.
“President Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee has informed me of his decision to resign from his position at Sonoma State University. I thank President Lee for his many years of service to California State University – beginning at California State University, Sacramento – and to higher education in general, I wish him and his family the best.
I will continue to work with Acting President Nathan Evans and the leadership of our Board of Directors during this transition period. Additional information will follow.”
Lee found himself at the center of controversy earlier this week over the email about his agreement with pro-Palestinian protesters posted online by a student group.
The email and Lee’s decision to enter into the agreement caused immediate backlash. Chancellor Garcia announced Wednesday that Lee has been placed on administrative leave.
“Due to this insubordination and the impact it has had on the system, President Lee has been placed on administrative leave for the time being,” Garcia said.
Garcia further said that Lee’s message was sent without approval. An updated message to Lee’s campus confirmed that he was alone in his decision to send the email.
“I want to be clear: the message was crafted and sent without the approval or consultation of the Chancellor or other system leaders. The points outlined in the message were mine alone and do not represent the views of my colleagues or the CSU,” Lee said on Wednesday.
The California Legislative Jewish Caucus also released a statement Wednesday saying the organization supported the suspension. The group’s co-chairs, Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) issued a statement saying Lee’s endorsement of an academic boycott was “totally unacceptable and evidence that former President Lee is unfit to lead one of our great state institutions.”
