Harvard University President Claudine Gay, who had been under pressure to resign due to anti-Semitism and plagiarism controversies, finally resigned. There is an analysis that conflict between conservative donors, mainly on Wall Street, and progressive university leadership is sweeping the university world.
In a letter sent to the Harvard community on the 2nd (local time), President Gaye said that his decision to resign was “indescribably difficult,” adding, “After consulting with (Harvard) corporate members, I decided that it was in the best interest of Harvard for me to resign.” “It became clear that it would be beneficial,” he said. Harvard University’s 11-member board of trustees also announced in an emailed statement that it accepted Gay’s resignation “with sadness” and that Chief Academic Officer Alan Garber would serve as interim president.
This is the first black president to resign in 388 years since Harvard University was founded in 1636. President Gay also suffered the disgrace of being the shortest serving president, resigning after just over six months. In addition, this is the second resignation following University of Pennsylvania (UPen) President Elizabeth Magill, who resigned due to anti-Semitic remarks after a U.S. Congressional hearing on December 5 last year.
At a congressional hearing last December, in response to a question from Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, “Please answer yes or no whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates the student code of conduct,” Chancellor Gay, Chancellor Magill, and MIT President Sally Convuls responded, ” “I can decide depending on the situation,” he answered vaguely, sparking controversy. In particular, as backlash from large donors intensified, President Magill resigned, and President Gay was also pressured to resign, but Harvard University’s board of trustees showed its support for President Gay and withstood external pressure. However, after several suspicions of plagiarism were raised by opponents of President Gay, it appears that he eventually announced his voluntary resignation on this day.
The plagiarism controversy was a decisive factor in President Gay’s resignation, but it is analyzed that this was an expression of the long-standing conflict between conservative donors and progressive Ivy League universities. After Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 last year, university donors have protested against the lukewarm actions of Harvard University leadership, which are different from those during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) incident. In addition, after a congressional hearing last month, about 70 members of the U.S. Congress signed a campaign to resign from President Gay, sparking controversy in the political world.
The New York Times (NYT) said, “Big donors protested against President Gay’s remarks and the response to the Hamas incident, and as problems continued, such as the number of early admission applicants in November falling 17%, hitting the lowest level in four years, the board of directors eventually decided to The report also reported, “He is moving towards resignation.” Harvard University operates an endowment fund worth $50.7 billion (66.5 trillion won), the largest among American universities. One of the most important abilities of an American university president is securing donations.
Following President Gay’s resignation, donors and alumni expressed their welcome, with famous venture investor Sam Lessin saying on social media, “I am glad to see the resignation in the end.” On the other hand, progressive groups are protesting against the resignation of President Gay, who was highly symbolic as the first black president of Harvard University. President Gay also stated, “(Following the anti-Semitism controversy) there have been a lot of racist accusations against individuals,” so there is a high possibility that the campus culture war conflict will intensify in the future. Pastor Al Sharpton, head of the human rights group National Action Network, told the NYT that he was planning a protest outside the office of Bill Ackman, the Pershing Square president who led the resignation of Gay, calling it “an attack on diversity and equity.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.