The President of the renowned American University Harvard, Claudine Gayresigned this Tuesday 2 after receiving harsh criticism for his handling of antiSemitism cases on campus as a result of the Gaza conflict, in addition to allegations of plagiarism in his academic work.
Claudine has come under fire in recent months following reports that she had improperly cited scientific sources. The latest allegations were published anonymously online today in a conservative media outlet.
The president also ran into controversy when, during a congressional hearing last month alongside the deans of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, she refused to say clearly whether calling for genocide against Jews violated Harvard's code of conduct.
Claudine, who made history as the first black woman to lead the powerful university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said in her resignation letter that she had been the victim of personal attacks and racism.
“It was disturbing that doubts were raised about my commitment to confronting hate and maintaining academic rigor… It is frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats motivated by racial hostility“, he wrote.
The resignation comes after the Harvard Corporation, which operates the university, initially supported the president after her testimony before Congress spelled disaster for the institution's public relations. However, the panel criticized the university's initial response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, which Israel said left 1,200 people dead and another 240 kidnapped.
The Israeli offensive has reduced large parts of the Gaza Strip to rubble and left at least dead people 22,185 peopleAccording to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the majority of victims are women and children.
“Deplorable behavior”
More than 70 lawmakers, including two Democrats, called for Claudine to resign. Several highprofile Harvard alumni and donors also advocated for his departure. Still, more than 700 Harvard professors had signed a letter in support of the president, and her position appeared secure.
The resignation, first reported by the Harvard Crimson student newspaper, was confirmed shortly afterwards by Claudine herself: “It is with great regret, but with deep love for Harvard, that I announce that I will be stepping down as president.”
In the United States, the controversy over antiSemitism is taking place on campuses, while attacks and violent rhetoric against Jews and Muslims, including at universities, have increased since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of the United States, declared that “a huge wave of antiSemitism has infiltrated college campuses.” Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust memorial, described the phenomenon as a “cancer.”
Alumnus and billionaire donor Bill Ackman stated in a letter to the Harvard administration that “Dean Claudine's failures have resulted in billions of dollars in donations to the university being canceled, suspended and withdrawn.”
Claudine, 53, was born in New York to Haitian immigrant parents. She is a professor of political science and last July became the first black president of Harvard, a university founded 368 years ago.
“Failed leadership and denial of antiSemitism come at a price. “I hope that the glorious Harvard University will learn from this deplorable behavior,” new Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in response to reports of Claudine’s impending departure.