Courtesy of JNS. Photo credit: Carin M. Smilk
Haverford College outside Philadelphia
(JNS) — Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) received the news that Wendy Raymond, president of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, plans to step down in 2027 with concern.
“When she appeared before my committee in May, Raymond refused to give specific answers or provide any tangible steps Haverford College was taking to address antisemitism as Jewish students were ostracized and harassed,” Walberg, chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, told JNS.
“Her testimony only proved the school’s unwillingness to address antisemitism under her feckless leadership,” he said. “I hope her successor does a better job of protecting students and preventing discrimination — as the law requires.”
“I fear what Jewish students and faculty will be forced to endure until her departure from Haverford in 2027,” the congressman added.
Raymond said last week that she plans to retire in June 2027. “This was not an easy decision, but after more than three decades in higher education, I am ready to step away from academia,” she stated. (JNS sought comment from the school.)
In her statement, Raymond cited “advancing inclusion through the work of institutional diversity, equity and access” as among the “milestones” in which she was involved. She added that her tenure has “coincided with periods of great challenge for our community, our country and the world — from a global pandemic and the strike for racial justice to more recent times of social unrest and public scrutiny.”
“Yet through it all, the college has remained strong and resolute in its mission to foster a campus culture of belonging and respect, where academic freedom and freedom of expression remain fundamental to Haverford’s nearly 200 years of academic excellence and open inquiry, and where our values guide us through new territory,” she said.
She didn’t mention alleged antisemitic harassment on the campus.
Her announcement that she will step down in a year and a half comes amid a U.S. Department of Education probe of the college for allegedly violating federal civil rights law for failing to address harassment against Jewish and Israeli students on campus.
“Jewish students, like all students, deserve to learn and thrive in an environment free from wanton hostility and intentional intimidation,” Craig Trainor, acting U.S. assistant secretary of education for civil rights, stated when the investigation was announced in August.
Senior leaders at the private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pa., allegedly told Jewish students that they should be “brave” when dealing with antisemitic bullying and harassment and not expect to be “safe,” in response to student complaints after Oct. 7, the Trump administration said.
The college also allegedly blamed “the wind” for the vandalism and removal of hostage posters and posters advertising Jewish student events, only acknowledging they were “antisemitic acts” when Raymond was called to testify before Congress, the Education department stated in August.
