Former Harvard President Claudine Gay was on a Christmas vacation with her family in Rome when she agreed to resign under pressure, according to a new report.
Gay, desperate for a respite after a barrage of criticism over plagiarism allegations and her lukewarm response to anti-Semitism on campus, left on Dec. 22 for the long-planned trip, The New York Times reported Saturday.
On Dec. 27, Harvard University Board Chairwoman Penny Pritzker called her and asked whether she thought there would be a path forward if she took over as president, people familiar with the call said , the Times.
Although the question was asked openly, Pritzker's implication was apparently clear, and the call ended with Gay agreeing to resign.
It marked a stunning turnaround after weeks of strong public support for Gay in the face of unfolding scandals by members of the Harvard Corporation, as the university's governing board is known.
Former Harvard President Claudine Gay was on a Christmas vacation with her family in Rome when she agreed to resign under pressure, according to a new report
On December 27, Harvard University Board Chair Penny Pritzker (above) called Gay and asked if she thought there would be a path forward if she took over as president
Board members, also on their own Christmas break, faced a new barrage of criticism and suggestions from friends and family members they encountered during the break, which may have played a role in their decision, the Times said.
Additionally, several board members had children attending Harvard, and at least one feared that his children would be harassed by other students about their parents' board roles and the Gay controversy.
The new report also shows that in addition to their Dec. 12 public statement expressing support for Gay, board members privately reached out to the president and asked her to help propose a turnaround plan.
Gay's staff came up with a proposal they called the “spring reset.” This involved making a series of campus appearances, holding office hours and setting up task forces to combat both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
But before Gay could send her plan to the board, a new scandal broke out on Dec. 19 in the form of plagiarism allegations, according to the Times.
When Gay then forwarded the proposal, some board members took it as a sign that she did not recognize the seriousness of the new allegations, which ultimately included 40 instances of plagiarism in Gay's academic work.
Earlier this week, Gay said in a New York Times editorial that racial animus played a role in her downfall.
She revealed that she had received death threats and been called the N-word countless times since she emerged in October.
A group called “Fire Claudine Gay” set up a box truck outside the Harvard campus with an electronic billboard with a message of protest against Gay
Gay also warned that the campaign to remove her was about more than one university and one leader.
“This was just a single skirmish in a broader war aimed at destroying public trust in pillars of American society,” Gay wrote. “Those who had worked tirelessly to oust me since the fall often spread lies and ad hominem insults,” she added.
But Gay didn't use the word “plagiarism” in her essay, only admitting that she misattributed citations in her academic writings. These allegations – which ultimately targeted half of Gay's published works – are believed to have cost her her job at Harvard.
And she even praised the work in question, calling it “innovative” and claiming that she herself had published work that “generated important research by other scientists.”
Gay wrote: “On Tuesday, I made the painful but necessary decision to resign as president of Harvard. “For weeks, both I and the institution to which I have dedicated my professional life have been under attack.”
“My character and intelligence were questioned.” My commitment to fighting anti-Semitism was questioned. My inbox was flooded with abuse, including death threats. I've been called the N-word more times than I care to count.'
She added: “My hope is that by resigning I will deny demagogues the opportunity to further exploit my presidency in their campaign to undermine the ideals that have inspired Harvard since its founding: excellence, openness, independence, truth.”