The experience has been of short duration for the Haitian-American, Dr. Claudine Gay. Billionaire donors and conservatives have ultimately succeeded over the first Black woman and first Haitian-American woman to become president of Harvard University.
Dr. Gay submitted her resignation this Tuesday after only six months at the helm of Harvard.
“It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to inform you of my resignation from the presidency,” reads her resignation letter. “This is not a decision I made lightly. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words, as I looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university over the centuries,” Dr. Gay conveyed, adding that her decision was made in consultation with the board. “…But, after consultation with the members of the Society, it became evident that it is in Harvard’s interest for me to resign so that our community can navigate this extraordinarily difficult time by focusing on the institution rather than any individual,” Dr. Gay wrote.
Accused of not strongly condemning anti-Semitic attacks against Jews during her appearance before the House chamber, Claudine Gay had to publish a letter of apology. But that was not enough for Jewish billionaires and conservatives.
Madam Gay was also accused of plagiarism in her academic work. But Harvard’s board of directors stated that there was no reason to remove Dr. Gay, as errors in her doctoral thesis had been corrected, according to the board, which denied the plagiarism allegations against Dr. Gay.
With this resignation, Dr. Gay becomes the second leader of the Ivy League to lose her position in the last two weeks. University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magil also resigned four days after her appearance before Congress.
The President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the only one who has so far survived calls for resignation from conservatives and Jewish billionaires.
The MIT board of directors refuses to yield to donors’ requests. The university must be a space for debates as controversial and difficult as they may be, the board retorted.
Since her testimony before the House of Deputies, Claudine Gay has been under a lot of pressure to resign from the helm of Harvard University.
The calls mostly came from several Jewish billionaires who decided not to make donations to Harvard as long as Dr. Gay is at the helm of the world’s best-known university.
Conservatives also vowed to get Claudine Gay’s head, accused of not strongly condemning threats against Jews since the Hamas attack in Israel that cost the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis. In return, the Israeli army killed more than 21,000 Palestinians.
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