By: Jack Nevins
Harvard University President, Claudine Gay, resigned Tuesday, January 2nd after being criticized for the statement she presented during a hearing in Congress on antisemitism on campuses and claims that she plagiarized academic works.
Former President Claudine Gay stated in her resignation letter, “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 meeting with Harvard’s board, Gay found it best to resign to not have her poor actions drag down the University’s ebb-and-flow “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.” The tenure and time spent at Harvard as president by Claudine Gay, is the shortest in Harvard University history. Gay spent a total six months representing the Crimson. Gay was also the second woman to be named commander-in-chief, and the first African-American to lead the decorated school.
As a result of Gay’s resignation, the Harvard Corporation met and decided upon a new interim president. Alan M. Garber will now serve as the President of Harvard University. Garber is the school’s provost and chief academic officer. He will be in this position until a new found president is named. Although Gay has now resigned from her presidential position, the former Harvard president will be given a faculty position in the classroom on campus. Gay faced plagiarism allegations within her political science scholarship. The Harvard Corporation ordered an investigation that “revealed a few instances of inadequate citation” but Harvard’s communications office did not have comment on the additional plagiarism accusations. The leaders of three of the country’s most prestigious universities were called before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Dec. 5 to testify about how their administrations were a response to the rise in antisemitism following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, causing a deadly war in Gaza. The former Harvard president gained more hatred after critics such as Rufo showcased intense instances of plagiarism in her published work, which focuses on American political behavior and the role of racial identity in politics.
