Claudine Gay, the first Black president of America's most famous institution, Harvard University, is stepping down from her position, according to The Boston Globe's insider.
Her decision to resign comes after months of juggling numerous issues, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, antisemitism on campus, and accusations of plagiarism in her academic papers.
Dr. Alan Garber, who is now serving as provost at Harvard, will reportedly take over as interim president.
The allegations surrounding Gay's departure, which came after a term of only six months, have dragged the almost 400-year-old institution and its influential governing body, the Harvard Corporation, into the middle of controversies.
Claudine Gay in the Middle of Controversies
Gay has been hopping from scandal to scandal since October 7, 2023.
These started with harsh criticism of her delayed and weak statement on the Hamas-led assault on Israel and then progressed to claims that she failed to react quickly enough to charges of renewed antisemitism on campus.
After she gave a response to a congressional hearing on December 5, 2023, on whether or not calls for the murder of Jews would be against Harvard policy, the public's push to have her removed increased. She kept her job, nonetheless.
The Harvard Corporation said at the time: "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."
Also, last month, it came to light that she had allegedly plagiarized several of her academic papers. Two of Gay's peer-reviewed journal papers and her 1997 Ph.D. dissertation from Harvard's government department were found to include "inadequate citation" and "duplicative language," which Harvard has publicly recognized.
At least three revisions to her 1997 dissertation were reportedly in the works, according to an official from the university.
On Tuesday, January 2, Gay is further embroiled in charges of plagiarism, bringing the total to around 50.
Challenging Time for American Higher Education
American higher education, particularly the most prestigious universities, is confused and worried by the timing of Gay's decision.
According to The Boston Globe, universities are criticized by right-wing politicians for fostering a progressive mindset that is incompatible with meritocracy and free speech. Legislators and judges on the Supreme Court have taken action to limit what they see as the universities' excesses by using political pressure.
Some conservatives attacked Gay's academic lapses and depicted her as a kind of diversity, equity, and inclusion apparatchik, while professors at Harvard University denounced lawmakers' attempts to intervene in the university's affairs. These battles were set against the backdrop of an extraordinary political ablaze in recent weeks.
