Harvard University President Claudine Gay tendered her resignation on Tuesday amid allegations of plagiarism and criticism stemming from her congressional testimony, where she faced difficulty unequivocally stating the school’s stance on calls for the genocide of Jews. Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, stepped down just months into her tenure and addressed the Harvard community in a letter.
After her congressional appearance, conservative activists scrutinized Gay’s academic career, uncovering alleged instances of plagiarism in her 1997 doctoral dissertation. Initially, Harvard’s governing board supported her, acknowledging “a few instances of inadequate citation” but no evidence of research misconduct. However, the board later identified two additional examples of “duplicative language without appropriate attribution,” leading to corrections in Gay’s dissertation.
The Harvard Corporation expressed “great sadness” over Gay’s resignation, thanking her for her commitment to academic excellence. Alan M. Garber, provost and chief academic officer, will serve as interim president until a replacement is found.
Conservatives celebrating Gay’s resignation cited allegations of plagiarism and her congressional testimony, which was criticized for equivocal responses regarding calls for the genocide of Jews on campus. Gay, along with presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, faced questioning about their institutions’ code of conduct during a congressional hearing.
Gay later apologized for her response, stating she failed to denounce threats against Jewish students properly. The fallout from the hearing led to tensions on campus, with Rabbi David Wolpe resigning from an antisemitism committee created by Gay, citing dissatisfaction with the handling of the situation.
The House committee announced an investigation into policies and disciplinary procedures at Harvard, MIT, and Penn following the hearing. Separate federal civil rights investigations had been initiated at Harvard, Penn, and other universities in response to complaints submitted to the U.S. Education Department.
(AP)
