Another financier is pulling funding from the struggling University of Pennsylvania, citing “hatred and violence” in a social media post by political science professor Anne Norton.
Investor Henry Jackson and his wife, Stacey, confirmed to The Post that they are in talks with UPenn to sever ties with Norton following a string of controversial posts and retweets, including one in support of a post claiming Jews are the best at “playing the victim.”
The Jackson family has sponsored Norton through their Presidential Distinguished Professor position since 2018.
“We are proud to have supported the University of Pennsylvania for many years and remain believers in the power of higher education to expand opportunity,” the Jacksons said in a statement provided by The Post.
“We are very concerned, however, to learn of comments made by Professor Anne Norton on social media that appear to support hatred and violence.”
Controversial statement in question — highlighted by Stop Antisemitism nonprofit group last week — included a post on the likes of X Norton, which read: “Playing the victim is the best thing Jews do.”
The donor couple confirmed they are in talks with UPenn to withdraw funding for their professorship, which is currently held by political science professor Anne Norton, after her anti-Israel posts. University of Pennsylvania
UPenn – JUST when you thought things couldn’t get any worse here, Anne Norton, Distinguished Professor of Political Science:
– liked the post that said “Playing the victim is the best thing for Jews” – shared the post that said the brutal rape of the Jewish woman was “alleged”-… pic.twitter.com/Lxo6ov9afk
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) December 8, 2023
In another post, Norton responded to a tweet denouncing the condition of Israeli citizens held hostage by Hamas terrorists.
“Freed hostages have testified that they eat the same food as their captors, sleep on mattresses and have access to health care,” the professor tweeted.
He also reshared a post on X that called the rape of a Jewish woman “alleged.”
“We accept that Professor Norton made these statements in a personal capacity,” Jackson said in their statement.
“However, we strongly condemn any form of racism or antisemitism and we are currently discussing with the university to end our relationship with this professorship. We hope that the university can quickly and successfully deal with the various challenges it is currently facing.”
Henry Jackson is co-founder and CEO of OpCapita LLP — a British private equity firm. His wife, Stacey, is a singer and executive producer of 3B1G Records. The Jacksons’ FilmMagic statement was provided to The Post
It was not immediately clear if the Jacksons — who are listed as parent donors on UPenn’s website — plan to pull all future donations to the school, or simply fire their namesake professor.
New York-born Henry Jackson is a graduate of UPenn’s Wharton business school and co-founder and CEO of OpCapita LLP — a British private equity firm. His wife, Stacey, is a singer and songwriter.
A UPenn spokeswoman declined to comment on the couple’s decision to terminate Norton’s professorship, saying they could not discuss personnel matters.
Norton, meanwhile, did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The couple is the latest in a string of deep-pocketed donors who have closed their checkbooks — or at least pledged to — over UPenn’s response to Israel’s war.
Most notable are the billionaire founder of AQR Capital Management, Clifford Asness; Apollo Management CEO Marc Rowan; former US Ambassador Jon Huntsman; and hedge funder David Magerman.
Billionaire Ronald Lauder is among those threatening to pull donations if the school does not do more to combat antisemitism.
On Sunday UPenn President Liz Magill “voluntarily” resigned following her recent disastrous testimony before Congress about the school’s failure to protect Jewish students.
The development comes just days after UPenn President Liz Magill “voluntarily” resigned from her position following her recent incriminating testimony before Congress. Robert Miller
Magill appeared before the House Education Committee last week where he and the presidents of Harvard and MIT were grilled by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) – who asked each of them whether calling for the genocide of Jews was considered “bullying and harassment” under their college’s code of conduct.
“It’s a context-dependent decision, Congressman,” Magill had responded at the time.
After news of Magill’s resignation broke, Stefanik tweeted: “One down. Two more.”
“This is just the beginning of addressing the rampant rot of antisemitism that has destroyed America’s most ‘prestigious’ institutions of higher learning,” the congressman added.
“These universities can expect robust and comprehensive Congressional investigations into all aspects of their institutions that engage in antisemitism including administration, faculty, funding, and overall leadership and governance.”
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