Harvard President Claudine Gay has resigned amid another round of plagiarism accusations. Gay had the shortest tenure in the university’s history.
Gay released a letter on Jan. 2 to the Harvard faculty, staff, and community that stated her decision to resign, noting the racially motivated attacks on her character and academic morality.
“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,” shared the alum.
Gay expressed that her wishes were in the “best interest” of Harvard as scrutiny on her previous academic work intensified.
She also opined that racial bias was at play within the accusations.
“Amidst all of this, it has been distressing to have doubt cast on my
commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor —two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am — frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus,” wrote Gay.The news followed the university’s newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, publishing an op-ed urging the Ivy League institution to “Let Gay Go” after additional claims of plagiarism emerged.
Gay became president of Harvard in a historic appointment as the first Black woman to take on the role, embarking on the role in July.
However, her tenure had grown scandalous in the past few months. Her comments on anti-semitism within Harvard’s campus during a congressional hearing, in light of the Israeli-Hamas conflict, drew significant criticism. While Gay subsequently apologized for her remarks, a push by conservative lawmakers to remove her and other university presidents who’d expressed similar statements began.
While Harvard’s faculty expressed their public support of Gay, multiple accusations of plagiarism continued, leading to her resignation.