After being awarded a senior research fellowship at the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, which operates under Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, former Michigan governor Rick Snyder announced via Twitter Wednesday afternoon he is turning down the offer.
Snyder attributed his decision to the “current political environment and its lack of civility,” which he said would make his fellowship “too disruptive.”
Harvard’s Kennedy School announced Snyder’s fellowship Friday. The University of Michigan alum was set to begin the position Monday despite facing backlash over his appointment by those who note his administration’s role in the Flint water crisis.
Under the hashtag #NoSnyderFellowship, activists on Twitter urged their followers to contact Taubman Center director Jeffrey Liebman requesting the revocation of Snyder’s fellowship. Among those reaching out via social media included Piper Kerman, author of the book “Orange is the New Black,” which was the basis of Netflix’s show of the same name, and Mari Copeny, an activist also known as “Little Miss Flint.”
Readers were also advised to post about the issue, ask Harvard alumni to support their cause and donate to Copeny’s fundraising efforts for Flint.