The chancellor of a US university is under pressure to resign over his impression of an ¡°Asian¡± accent at a graduation ceremony.

Thomas Keon, who has led Purdue University Northwest (PNW) since 2011, has faced criticism after his??of Chinese language during the event, which he jokingly called ¡°my Asian version¡± of a previous speaker¡¯s speech.

The words struck a nerve among some graduates of the university, which is located in Indiana and has become increasingly diverse in recent years.

Ellen Chang, a?Purdue graduate and investment reporter, called the incident a ¡°complete and utter travesty¡±.

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¡°The overt racism displayed here is appalling. I am embarrassed to be an alum,¡±??on Twitter.

Nearly half the students at PNW ¨C which is part of the larger Purdue University system ¨C are non-white. The institution¡¯s is just over 24 per cent Hispanic, 10.6 per cent black and 3.3 per cent mixed race and 2.6 per cent Asian.

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PNW?has sought to bolster its reputation for inclusivity in recent years,??its ¡°steady increases in different race or ethnicity identifications among the student body since 2016¡±.

In a statement following the commencement, Dr Keon?highlighted his own role in boosting diversity on campus and??for what he characterised as a momentary lapse in judgement. ?

¡°We are all human. I made a mistake, and I assure you I did not intend to be hurtful and my comments do not reflect my personal or our institutional values,¡± he said.

¡°I am truly sorry for my unplanned, off-the-cuff response to another speaker, as my words have caused confusion, pain, and anger.¡±

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But the statement didn¡¯t appear to placate some alumni, who called for his resignation.

¡°As an alum¡­I¡¯d like to know when the chancellor will be removed from his job,¡±??one.

Academics also took to social media to condemn the chancellor¡¯s actions.

¡°This is shameful and disappointing. This regional campus prides itself on diversity and first-generation college student accessibility but this mockery is offensive and undermines the promise of an inclusive campus,¡±??Brian Hall, a professor and director of the Center for Global Health Equity at New York University Shanghai.

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Some online commenters pointed out the irony in the timing of controversy, with Dr Keon¡¯s statement continuing to make waves even as PNW?published an editorial on a local website?promoting its?, which ¡°values students and employees from multiple backgrounds¡±.

?pola.lem@timeshighereducation.com