Harvard President Claudine Gay will remain leader of the prestigious Ivy League school following her comments last week at a congressional hearing on antisemitism, the university’s highest governing body announced Tuesday.
The Harvard Corporation’s statement following its meeting Monday night expressed confidence in Gay’s leadership and said that the university is committed to redoubling its fight against antisemitism.
The announcement came after Gay and two of her peers struggled to answer questions about campus antisemitism at the congressional hearing. Their academic responses provoked a backlash from Republican opponents, along with alumni and donors who say the university leaders are failing to stand up for Jewish students on their campuses.
The Harvard Crimson student newspaper first reported Tuesday that Gay, who became Harvard’s first Black president in July, will remain in office with the support of the Harvard Corporation following the conclusion of the board’s meeting. It cited an unnamed source familiar with the decision.
A petition signed by more than 600 faculty members asked the school’s governing body to keep Gay in charge. The Corporation’s statement said that Gay had apologized for how she handled her congressional testimony and had committed to redoubling the university’s fight against antisemitism.
In an interview with The Crimson last week, Gay said she got caught up in a heated exchange at the House committee hearing and failed to properly denounce threats of violence against Jewish students.
“What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community — threats to our Jewish students — have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged,” Gay said.
The Corporation also addressed allegations of plagiarism against Gay, saying that Harvard became aware of them in late October regarding three articles she had written. It initiated an independent review at Gay’s request.
The Corporation reviewed the results on Saturday, “which revealed a few instances of inadequate citation” and found no violation of Harvard’s standards for research misconduct, it said.
The decision to keep Gay in office was welcomed by many in the Harvard community, who praised her commitment to fighting antisemitism and racism on campus.
“President Gay has demonstrated a deep commitment to Harvard’s core values of inclusion and diversity,” said Harvard Alumni Association President William Lee. “We are confident that she will continue to lead the university with integrity and courage.”
The Corporation’s decision to keep Gay in office is a sign of the university’s commitment to promoting a safe and inclusive environment for all students, faculty, and staff. Gay has already taken steps to address the issue of antisemitism on campus, and her continued leadership will ensure that Harvard remains a leader in the fight against bigotry and hatred.
