Embattled Harvard President Claudine Gay filed her resignation as she faced various controversies six months into her presidency. Her term marks the shortest stint in office of any Harvard president since its founding in 1636, according to a New York Times article.
In her letter addressed to the Harvard community, Gay said, “It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president.
“After consultation with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”
For the controversy-stricken president, the decision is “difficult beyond words.”
Gay’s turbulent term began when she exposed how Harvard University tackles the issue of antisemitism on the campus.
In the December 5 congressional hearing, Gay appeared with other Ivy League presidents where they were confronted with inquiry regarding students who called for the genocide of Jews would be punished. She was the second president to resign amid heavy backlash.
Gay’s response to the question was “When speech crosses into conduct, that violates our policies.”
This line of response by three University presidents urged 70 US lawmakers to demand the immediate removal of the presidents.
Elizabeth Magill, University of Pennsylvania, stepped down four days after the hearing.
While at the center of the antisemitism controversy, Gay was also involved in plagiarism allegations, as her 1997 Ph.D. dissertation appeared to miss quotation marks and citations.
On Monday, The Washington Free Beacon published an expanded complaint from an anonymous professor, who cites an additional six unreported instances where the president lifted material from other scholars.
Previously, this professor had complained Gay had 40 instances of plagiarism in his published works, many of which have been reported by the New York Post, Free Beacon, and conservative pundit Christopher Rufo.
Gay, in her resignation letter, stood upon her academic record and alleged that she had become the target of personal and racist attacks.
“Amidst all of this, it has been distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor — two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am — and frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus.”
Alan M. Gerber will serve as Harvard’s interim president, he is an economist and physician. He is currently the University’s provost and chief academic officer.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Alan’s broad and deep experience, incisive judgment, collaborative style, and extraordinary institutional knowledge to carry forward key priorities and to guide the university through this interim period,” states Harvard Corporation after Gay’s resignation.
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