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San Antonio College (SAC) President Naydeen González-De Jesús was reassigned to an administrative position Monday after a short and rocky tenure at the helm of the community college, Texas Public Radio reported.
A statement from the Alamo Colleges District said González-De Jesús, who became president in January, would transition to a new position at the district, as Presidential Project Executive. The statement did not provide a reason for the move, according to TPR.
González-De Jesús’ departure follows her widely criticized handling of an October event on campus related to the Israeli war in Gaza. The event, a “Teach-In for Palestine,” was advertised as an educational opportunity for students to learn about the history of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and to offer context about the Oct. 7 attack of Israel by Hamas and the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
Administrators said González-De Jesús tried to cancel the event due to concerns that it would present a one-sided view of the conflict. She then decided to postpone it and request a change of the event’s name to “Palestine 101,” according to TPR.
The college’s student government, the Faculty Senate and a majority of top administrators strongly criticized González-De Jesús’ handling of the event, TPR reported. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) called her actions “the definition of a chilling effect.”
The student government and college administrators sent separate “NO CONFIDENCE” letters about González-De Jesús to Alamo Colleges District Chancellor, Mike Flores, and the Faculty Senate approved a censure vote for both González-De Jesús and Cassie Rincones, SAC’s vice president for academic success. The senate’s resolution cited unfair and unethical investigations into faculty members for organizing the event and said such actions could “severely undermine academic freedom.”
Flores issued a statement that included a quote from González-De Jesús saying, “It has been a pleasure to serve the SAC community. I am excited about working alongside Chancellor Dr. Flores, whose support has been invaluable to our collective success,” TPR reported.
