Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigns amid campus antisemitism debate

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday after criticism about her comments on anti-Israel protests on campus and allegations of plagiarism.

“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 wrote in a letter to the Harvard community. “After consultation with members of the Corporation, 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 and two other US college presidents -- University of Pennsylvania’s Liz Magill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sally Kornbluth -- testified Dec. 5 before Congress on antisemitic incidents on their campuses.

“Amidst all of this, it has been distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor—two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am—and frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus,” Gay wrote in her resignation letter.

Gay, whose term lasted just over six months, became the second Ivy League president to resign amid antisemitism criticism on US college campuses.

Magill resigned last month after criticism and pressure following her comments at the Congress hearing.

Alan Garber, Harvard's provost and chief academic officer, will serve as interim president, said the university.