Rutgers Cancels Rami Elghandour Graduation Speech After Students Threaten Boycott Over Israel Criticism

Rutgers University rescinded its invitation to biotech entrepreneur Rami Elghandour to deliver a graduation speech at the Rutgers School of Engineering, after some engineering students said they would not attend graduation if he spoke.

The decision was tied to his social media criticism of Israel, with Rutgers spokesperson Megan Florance saying the move was meant to keep “the focus on our engineering students and honors the celebratory spirit of the event to ensure that no graduate feels forced to choose between their personal convictions and a convocation ceremony.”

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Elghandour, a Rutgers alumnus and chairman and CEO of Arcellx, was scheduled to speak at the May 15 ceremony, and he said the cancellation came after “a ‘few’ students complained about my selection as speaker because of my social media advocacy for Palestine.”

In a statement, the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the disinvitation, accusing Rutgers of favoring pro-Israel voices and calling on the school to reinstate him.

Rutgers also faced past commencement controversies, including in 2014 when former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice withdrew after student objections tied to the Iraq War, and last year when Rutgers initially faced pressure to cancel comedian Ramy Youssef before he ultimately spoke and received an honorary degree.

Two Rutgers unions, the Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union, issued a joint statement condemning the cancellation as “politically motivated suppression of expression that undermines rather than advances the free exchange of ideas on our campus.”

The unions said the decision “clearly reflects a broader pattern of universities applying a Palestine exception to their stated commitments to free speech,” and they framed the move as a “direct violation of the university’s stated commitment to free speech and inquiry.”

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Rutgers said it withdrew the invitation after students said they would not attend graduation because of Elghandour’s pro-Palestinian comments, and Rutgers spokesperson Dory Devlin reiterated that “Convocation is a hard-earned milestone intended to celebrate the academic excellence of our graduates in a ceremony that can be enjoyed by all students and families.”

Elghandour condemned the action as “frankly un-American,” and he argued Rutgers was shutting down free speech and discourse over complaints from a few students.

Hank Kalet, a Rutgers professor of journalism and media studies who is Jewish, said he found the decision “incredibly chilling,” comparing it to what he said he had seen at the University of Michigan and other schools removing graduation speakers over Palestinian-related positions.

The dispute has broadened into a wider debate over speech and student protest, with Elghandour telling the Guardian that the cancellation sends a “dangerous” message and describing it as “erosion of free speech and the first amendment.”

Rutgers’ spokesperson confirmed to the Guardian that the school rescinded the invitation after the engineering school was “informed that some graduating students would not attend their graduation ceremony due to concerns about the invited speaker’s social media posts,” while the dean, Alberto Cuitiño, declined to say how many students complained or which posts they cited.

Elghandour said he was puzzled that Rutgers championed his humanitarian views and then canceled him for them, telling the Guardian, “What is most puzzling to me is that they champion me for my humanitarian views and now they’re canceling me for them.”

The Guardian also placed the Rutgers case in a broader pattern of graduation controversies, noting that New York University banned some live speeches at this year’s ceremonies while the City University of New York’s Law School banned student speeches altogether.

In the background of the Rutgers decision, the Guardian reported that Elghandour had frequently posted about Palestine and shared reports about Israeli soldiers using dogs to sexually abuse prisoners, which some described as “antisemitic blood libel,” and it said the cancellation was part of ongoing fears of pro-Palestinian speech at graduation ceremonies.