California university president put on leave after announcing agreement with pro-Palestinian group

ROHNERT PARK, Calif. (AP) — The chancellor of the California State University system has suspended the president of its Sonoma campus for announcing an agreement with pro-Palestinian activists to pursue an academic boycott of Israeli institutions as well as “divestment strategies.”

The message by Sonoma State University President Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee was issued “without the appropriate approvals,” said Mildred García, chancellor of the 23-campus CSU system, in a statement Wednesday.

“For now, because of this insubordination and consequences it has brought upon the system, President Lee has been placed on administrative leave,” García said.

Lee quickly issued an apology for the agreement he announced Tuesday after meetings with students who set up a campus encampment, one of many that have appeared at colleges to protest Israel’s actions in the war with Hamas and to press schools to cut ties with Israel and businesses that support it.

“My goal when meeting with students at the encampment was to explore opportunities to make meaningful change, identify common ground and create a safe and inclusive campus for all. I now realize that many of the statements I made in my campuswide message did just the opposite,” Lee wrote.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Police dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment at DePaul University in Chicago </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Biden’s upcoming graduation speech roils Morehouse College, a center of Black