Harvard’s president Claudine Gay has resigned from her post on Tuesday following backlash over her comments during a congressional hearing about antisemitism on campus and allegations of plagiarism in her academic work. Alan Garber, a physician and economist currently serving as the university’s provost, will step in as interim president.
Gay sent her resignation letter on Tuesday afternoon, January 2, to the Harvard community, explaining that her decision to step down came after consulting with the university’s governing board and she will remain on faculty.
“It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president,” Gay said in a letter to the Harvard community. “This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries.”
But after consulting with the university’s board, Gay added, “it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”
Gay’s six-month tenure is the shortest in the university’s 388-year history, according to the Harvard Crimson student newspaper. She was the first Black person and the second woman to lead the institution.
