Rutgers University Rescinds Invitation to Alumni Biotech CEO for Engineering Convocation Over Student Concerns About Social Media Posts

By Staff Reporter

New Brunswick, N.J. — Rutgers University’s School of Engineering has rescinded its invitation to Rami Elghandour, a 2001 alumnus and biotechnology executive, to speak at its May 15 convocation ceremony on the New Brunswick campus. The decision followed objections from some graduating students regarding Elghandour’s social media activity related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The university stated that the move was prompted by concerns that the event might not align with its celebratory purpose. According to a Rutgers spokesperson, “some graduating students would not attend their graduation ceremony due to concerns about the invited speaker’s social media posts.” The School of Engineering further noted that discussions between Dean Michael Heaney and Elghandour raised questions about whether the speaker’s remarks would maintain the event’s festive atmosphere for approximately 1,000 students.

Rutgers provided a statement to Democracy Now! explaining: “In response to objections from students regarding Mr. Elghandour’s social media posts, including one that shared an inflammatory claim, and following the Dean’s own discussions with Mr. Elghandour that raised concerns about whether the event and his remarks would remain consistent with the celebratory nature of the occasion, the School of Engineering decided to rescind the speaking invitation for the school convocation.”

Two faculty unions at Rutgers — the Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the AAUP-BHE — issued a joint statement criticizing the decision. They described it as “politically motivated suppression” and argued that it “reflects a broader pattern of universities applying a Palestine exception to their stated commitments to free speech.”

Elghandour, who serves as chairman and CEO of Arcellx, a cancer therapeutics company recently acquired by Gilead Sciences for $7.8 billion, was initially invited in December 2025. He described the invitation as stemming from his ongoing engagement with Rutgers students as an alumnus. In an interview with Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman on May 11, Elghandour recounted receiving a phone call from Dean Heaney about two weeks before the event, informing him of the cancellation.

Elghandour said the dean cited complaints from “a few students” whose beliefs his social media posts allegedly opposed. “I asked, ‘How many students?’ And he said, ‘A few.’ A few, to me, sounds like maybe five or so,” Elghandour stated. He expressed skepticism that objections from such a small number would affect an event for a class of around 1,000 students, adding, “Disagreement is not harm. Having a different point of view is not harming these students in any way.”

Rutgers has not publicly specified the exact number of objecting students but referred to “a number of students” or “some graduating students” in statements to media outlets, including the Associated Press. Reports indicated that the concerns were sufficient to prompt threats of a boycott among participants, influencing the decision to ensure broad attendance at the milestone ceremony.

Elghandour, who holds a degree in electrical and computer engineering from Rutgers, detailed his professional trajectory during the interview. After graduation in 2001, he worked as an engineer for five years before attending the Wharton School of Business. He then entered venture capital in California, joined his first startup — growing it from 30 to 1,000 employees and taking it public on the New York Stock Exchange — and later founded Arcellx. The company develops treatments for multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.

Elghandour noted that Rutgers has frequently sought his involvement over the years, describing himself as “the poster child for Rutgers School of Engineering.” He emphasized the value of his engineering degree in his career and expressed disappointment over the recent events, calling them “heartbreaking.”

In addition to his business achievements, Elghandour is an executive producer of two films focused on Gaza: *The Voice of Hind Rajab*, which received an Oscar nomination for its depiction of the death of a Palestinian child, her family, and paramedics attempting a rescue; and *American Doctor*, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier in 2026 and follows three physicians volunteering in Gaza.

Elghandour said his planned convocation speech would have focused on his career journey and advice for students. “A lot of the student engagement I do, the one question they ask me is: How did I manage to be as successful as I’ve been without compromising my beliefs and my values?” he explained. The address would have highlighted “being yourself” and “choosing kindness as a way to lead.”

He reported no internal pushback at Arcellx regarding his views. “I have friends, as well as colleagues, that are of all different races, ethnicities, including Jewish friends and colleagues,” Elghandour said. “I’ve had multiple attempts from outside of Arcellx to cancel me or silence me over my speech and my time there as CEO, but never from within the company.”

The controversy centers in part on a specific April 20 social media exchange. Replying to a post by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who wrote, “The free ride is over. Israel has a $45 billion defense budget. I am Team America,” Elghandour stated: “Forget a free ride. They’ve committed genocide. They’re running dungeons where they train dogs to sexually assault prisoners… Weapons embargo is the absolute minimum. Sanctions and diplomatic isolation are beyond justified. This we’ll sell them weapons won’t fly…”

Rutgers referenced this post, among others, in its rationale, describing it as an “inflammatory claim.” An initial statement to the Associated Press did not mention specific posts, noting only that the university had not conducted a formal review of Elghandour’s social media. Elghandour contested this, saying Rutgers had not shared details with him despite his requests and initially claimed no review had occurred.

In response to Rutgers’ later citation of the post, Elghandour argued during the Democracy Now! interview that it was “dishonest” given prior vagueness. He maintained that as a public company CEO, he does not post unverified information and questioned the university’s priorities: “How morally bankrupt can you be to read that tweet and have your concern be the content of the tweet, rather than the accusations in it?”

Elghandour linked his post to broader reports of detainee treatment. On the same day as the interview, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof published an article titled “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians,” referencing accounts from a Gaza journalist detained by Israeli forces in 2024. Kristof wrote: “On one occasion, he said, he was held down, stripped naked, and as he was blindfolded and handcuffed, a dog was summoned. With encouragement from a handler in Hebrew, he said, the dog mounted him. … He tried to dislodge the dog, he said, but it penetrated him.” Kristof added that “other Palestinian prisoners and human rights monitors have also cited reports of police dogs being coached to rape prisoners,” linking to coverage by BBC, Al Jazeera, and Middle East Eye.

Elghandour referenced additional claims, including a Save the Children report alleging that half of Palestinian children detained by Israel experience sexual assault. He also stated that “Israel is the only country in the world that still automatically and systematically prosecutes children in military court” and has “passed a law that legitimized or passed the death penalty only for Palestinians, for one ethnic minority.” These assertions were not independently verified during the interview.

Rutgers officials have emphasized the convocation’s role as a capstone event, prioritizing participation over external speakers amid the objections. The university’s decision aligns with its goal of fostering an inclusive celebration, according to the statement.

Elghandour framed the incident within wider campus debates on free speech and the Israel-Palestine conflict. He described perceived inconsistencies in how universities handle protests and invitations but did not provide specific comparable examples during the discussion.

The faculty unions’ statement highlighted concerns about selective application of free speech principles, particularly regarding pro-Palestine viewpoints. Rutgers has faced ongoing protests and discussions related to the conflict since October 2023, though specifics on this event were limited to the engineering school’s convocation.

As of May 11, Rutgers had not named a replacement speaker. Elghandour, reached in New York, reiterated his commitment to student engagement and free expression. The incident underscores tensions at U.S. universities over speakers’ public statements amid polarized views on international issues.

Democracy Now!, an independent news program, aired the interview with Elghandour on May 11. The program’s transcript notes that content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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