Harvard President Claudine Gay would remain in her post despite her comments at a congressional hearing on antisemitism in college campuses last week.
The announcement was made by the Ivy League university's highest governing body on Tuesday (December 12) despite calls from several students and alumni to step down.
"Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing," the Harvard Corporation said in a statement following its meeting on Monday night (December 11).
The Associated Press reported that Gay, who was only two months as Harvard president, came under intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill after she and two other university leaders struggled to answer questions about the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent cases of antisemitism in their campuses.
One of the Ivy League presidents in that hearing, Elizabeth Magill, has since resigned from her post, with some lawmakers and donors to Harvard telling Gay to follow suit.
Read Also : UPenn President Elizabeth Magill Resigns
Faculty Petitions Harvard to Keep Gay's Job
An unnamed source familiar with the decision first told The Harvard Crimson, a student newspaper on campus, that Gay, who became the first-ever Black president in July, would remain in office with the support of the Harvard Corporation following the conclusion of the board's meeting.
The decision came after over 600 faculty members asked the university to retain Gay in office.
"So many people have suffered tremendous damage and pain because of Hamas's brutal terrorist attack, and the university's initial statement should have been an immediate, direct, and unequivocal condemnation," the university board said in a statement.
"Calls for genocide are despicable and contrary to fundamental human values. President Gay has apologized for how she handled her congressional testimony and has committed to redoubling the university's fight against antisemitism."
Harvard Board Dismisses Gay's Plagiarism Allegations
Aside from her controversial House Education Committee appearance, the corporation also addressed allegations against Gay, saying that the university became aware of them in late October regarding three articles she had written.
An independent review has been initiated at Gay's request, and the corporation reviewed the results over the weekend, "which revealed a few instances of inadequate citation" and found no violation of Harvard's standards for research misconduct.
