After a little less than a year in the position, I’ve decided to step down as Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action (“VPC”) at Penn.

I have reluctantly come to the position that the science policy advocacy work I am doing, especially surrounding my new book “Science Under Siege” with vaccine scientist Peter Hotez, at times feels in conflict with the nonpartisan role demanded of me as an administrator at a university with an established institutional neutrality policy.

Particularly at this moment in time, I don’t feel that I can forsake the public scholarship and advocacy that I am doing and have thus decided to step down from the VPC role.

I am proud of the work that we have done thus far in developing VPC, including our recruitment of outstanding staff and scholars and the development of a solid strategic framework for advancing climate-related research, teaching, and outreach across the university. I am confident that those efforts will move forward under capable leadership.

Michael E. Mann
Presidential Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media, University of Pennsylvania