Harvard President Claudine Gray testifies before the Congress (Screenshot)
Claudine Gay, the embattled President of Harvard, is resigning her position after months of controversy. First Gay was lambasted for failing to condemn calls to wipe out Israel when testifying before the U.S. Congress, then came numerous allegations that she had plagiarized some of her works.
The 53 year old Claudine Gray was the first Black President in the history of Harvard University. She assumed that role just this past July.
The Fellows of Harvard College, the university’s governing board, released a statement saying they felt “great sadness” at hearing the news Claudine Gray decided to resign.
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After listing Gray’s achievements, the statement said, “These past several months have seen Harvard and higher education face a series of sustained and unprecedented challenges. In the face of escalating controversy and conflict, President Gay and the Fellows have sought to be guided by the best interests of the institution whose future progress and well-being we are together committed to uphold.”
The move came after many wealthy Jewish people cut ties with the university over its failure to deal with the many student groups that issued statements of support for Hamas in the wake of the barbaric October 7 attack. The school also did nothing to stop the public calls for the genocide of the Jewish people.
Most recently, the prominent Jewish philanthropist and billionaire Len Blavatnik severed ties with Harvard University, citing its perceived inaction against student support for Hamas, a Palestinian group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.
Blavatnik, a Ukrainian-born American businessman, had previously donated nearly $300 million to Harvard, making him one of the university’s most generous benefactors. His decision to withhold future donations signifies a significant financial blow to the institution.
Blavatnik, along with other Jewish donors like Bill Ackman, expressed outrage over reports of Harvard student groups supporting Hamas and its anti-Israel activities. They argue that the university’s failure to address this issue demonstrates a tolerance for antisemitism.
The Jewish billionaire investor Bill Ackman, a graduate of both Harvard College and the Harvard Business School (MBA), called for weeks for Harvard President Claudine Gay to be removed. But he also said that her firing, whenever it came, would be too late to save the IVY League School’s reputation.
Bill Ackman said recently, “If Harvard President Gay resigns, it does not restore Harvard’s reputation. That would only begin when the Corporation board members acknowledge that they made a bad choice of leader, which they have been unwilling to do.”
