Harvard University President Claudine Gay is saying goodbye to her position just six months into her tenure.
Gay submitted her resignation on Tuesday in a letter to the prestigious school.
“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. This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries,” part of the letter read.
Gay’s exit comes after weeks of criticism following her testimony at a congressional hearing regarding campus antisemitism. When Gay and other school leaders were asked whether or not students advocating for the genocide of Jews broke the college code of conduct, they seemingly deflected the question during last month’s hearing. Gay specifically said, “It depends on the context.” This angered many, leading Penn President Liz Magill to resign just days after the hearing, which she was also a part of. Following the criticism, Gay issued a statement on Twitter, writing, “Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account.” However, this was not enough to silence the backlash.
Statement from President Gay: There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students. Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic…
— Harvard University (@Harvard) December 6, 2023
Gay then faced allegations of plagiarism in her political science scholarship. The Harvard Corporation initiated an investigation that uncovered a few instances of insufficient citation. However, the inquiry concluded that there was no breach of Harvard’s standards for research misconduct, NBC News confirms.
Alan M. Garber, Harvard’s provost and chief academic officer, will serve as interim president until a permanent successor is named. Gay will return to a faculty position with the institution.
