In the past few months, Harvard’s reputation took a nose dive, costing the school millions in donations. The famous institution spent the final months of 2023 trapped in a controversy surrounding former university President Claudine Gay.
She faced allegations of plagiarism, raising questions about the culture of the college and prompting a congressional investigation. After the terrorist group Hamas’s attack against Israel that killed more than 1,200 people.
A coalition of student groups released a statement calling out Israel for the bloodshed and celebrating the attack. The statement was one of many released by student groups nationwide.
However, it immediately triggered the discussion of the proliferation of antisemitism at the university. After the public outcry that followed, Gay released statements condemning antisemitism and the attacks, but questions about the culture of the university persisted.
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In early December, she found herself the subject of controversy. She had refused to clarify whether calling for the genocide of Jews was a violation of the university’s rules against targeted harassment.
To make things worse, Gay has also been forced to request corrections to her published work after allegations surfaced that she plagiarised on several occasions throughout her academic career.
More recently, new questions were raised about her research in 2001. She refused to share it with other academics who questioned her conclusions. Despite her shortcomings, The Harvard Corporation, which governs the university, supported her.
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Gay also dismissed calls for her resignation. All the bad headlines have taken a toll on Harvard’s reputation. Some high-profile individuals from the business world, including Barstool Sports’s Dave Portnoy, have lost interest in hiring Harvard graduates.
Unsurprisingly, the number of early applicants to the Ivy League university fell by 17% in 2023, pushing the acceptance rate from 7.6% to 8.7%.
A business school in Vienna has also severed ties with Harvard by withdrawing from an academic partnership. Lauder Business School officials said they ended the relationship to show “solidarity with the Jewish student community at Harvard.”
ALSO READ: Harvard Big Guns Question Board Members on Antisemitism and Controversial President
Aside from partnerships, Harvard’s soiled reputation has also driven away donors. Last month, billionaire Len Blavatnik announced that his foundation was suspending donations to the Harvard Business School.
Other billionaire donors like Blatvanik, who have severed ties with Harvard, include Bill Ackman. He has publicly criticized the institution online and has also stopped donations.
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