Claudine Gay became famous in December 2023, when she appeared before a committee of the House of Representatives with the chancellors of other American universities – Sally Kornbluth (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Elizabeth Magill (University of Pennsylvania).
The hearing was about anti-Semitic incidents at these universities that occurred after Israel attacked the Gaza Strip on October 7 in response to an attack by Hamas.
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The chancellors were then asked by New York Republican Congressman Ellis Stefanik whether “calling for the genocide of the Jews violates the code of conduct or the value system of these universities.”
The answer had to be “yes” or “no”. The women unanimously responded that it was impossible to give a clear answer to this question and that it would depend on the context.
“It's not an easy decision”
Because of this, they received a wave of criticism. They were accused of failing to strongly condemn calls for the genocide of the Jews. Many high-profile Harvard alumni and donors have spoken out in favor of Claudine Gay's ouster.
“Like many Americans, I was shocked to see that the presidents of several leading universities, responsible for educating the young minds of tomorrow's leaders, have not condemned anti-Semitism and calls for genocide against the Jewish people on college campuses. New York Governor Katie Hochul said.
After a congressional hearing, Elizabeth Magill of the University of Pennsylvania apologized for her comments. However, this did not help him, as after several days of calls for his resignation, the university authorities announced that he had “voluntarily resigned”.
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Now Claudine Gay has followed suit and announced the decision in a statement. “This is not an easy decision. (…) It has become clear that it is in Harvard's best interest that I resign so that our community can overcome this moment of extraordinary challenge rather than focusing on any one institution. Individual,” he said.
“It is troubling that my commitment to resisting hate and defending scientific rigor has been called into question,” he added.
The university leadership also commented on the resignation, thanking Claudine Gay for her “deep and unwavering commitment” to the university.
“He has dedicated his career to an institution whose ideals and priorities he has worked tirelessly to advance. We are grateful for the extraordinary contributions he has made and will continue to make as a leader, teacher, scholar and mentor,” the statement said.
Gay will now return to the Harvard faculty, where he has served as a professor of government administration since 2006.
This is interesting because in December 2023, a woman was accused of plagiarism. He has since been accused of misquoting scientific sources. The case continues.
The 53-year-old held the position of rector for six months. She was the first black person to hold this position and the second woman. His tenure was the shortest in the university's 388-year history.
dk / Polsatnews.pl