Claudine Gay has resigned after just six months into her role. The former Harvard president’s resignation stems from the backlash over her response to questions about antisemitism at US colleges. Also, Gay resigned after several people claimed she plagiarized some of her academic work.
In her resignation letter, Gay announced that she would return to her faculty member position. “As I now return to the faculty and to the scholarship and teaching that are the lifeblood of what we do, I pledge to continue working alongside you to build the community we all deserve,” she wrote.
The daughter of Haitian immigrants, Gay became the first Black person and second woman to lead an Ivy League institution. However, resigning just six months after her presidency began, hers is the shortest tenure in Harvard’s history.
On December 5, 2023, Gay and the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania testified before Congress. The Ivy League Presidents spoke about their campuses’ handling of accusations of antisemitism following the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war. However, all three sparked outrage with their responses.
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Following their testimonies, more than 70 US lawmakers signed a letter in response demanding the removal of the president. Consequently, UPenn’s president resigned on December 9, 2023. Gay, on the other hand, apologized for her comments at the congressional hearing. However, as many called for her removal, her apology was brushed aside.
Conservative activists and Harvard Alumni largely campaigned against Gay’s presidency, especially those who oppose diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. They argued that Gay became Harvard’s president not because of her decades of academic work and recognition but because she is Black.
Afterward, plagiarism allegations surfaced, accusing Gay of not correctly citing her academic works. Following the initial complaints, Gay defended her work. “I stand by the integrity of my scholarship,” she wrote. However, Gay later added additional quotes and citations to the articles.
POLL — Is Systemic Racism a Significant Problem That Requires Reform in Policing and Other Areas?
Although Gay won a statement of confidence from the Harvard Corporation following the first set of plagiarism allegations, it didn’t save her from the six new ones. According to the complaint, Gay allegedly lifted nearly half a page of material verbatim from a 2001 article.
In addition, the complaint claims that one of Gay’s articles borrows four sentences from David Canon’s 1999 book. She allegedly plagiarized with minor edits from Cannon’s book, “Race Redistricting and Representation: The Unintended Consequences of Black Majority Districts.”
Also, Gay did not cite Canon near the passage, though his name does appear in the bibliography. Consequently, a Harvard Honor Council student slammed the Harvard Corporation for supporting Gay. The student accused the corporation of having double standards, claiming they suspended students for an academic year for inadequate citations.
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“When the president of their university is found responsible for the same types of infractions,” the student wrote. “The fellows of the Corporation unanimously stand in support of her.” The student, who remained anonymous, further condemned the school’s decision, saying it was unfair to students.
Commenting on the allegations, Gay maintained her stance in her resignation letter. “It has been distressing to have doubts cast on my commitments to confronting hate,” she wrote. “And upholding scholarly rigor, two bedrock values fundamental to who I am,” she continued. Gay’s resignation became effective on January 2, 2024.
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