Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard University, resigned on Tuesday, 2 January, following plagiarism accusations as well as backlash over her testimony before the US Congress.
Know more: Gay had been asked to testify before the US Congress on the alleged failure to protect Jewish students from rising anti-Semitism amid the deadly Israel-Hamas war.
Gay was reportedly unable to give a straight answer on whether calls for genocide against Jewish students violated Harvard's conduct policy, according to the Associated Press.
Soon after, conservative activists reportedly accused Gay of plagiarism in her 1997 doctoral dissertation.
"...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," read Gay's resignation letter, as quoted in The New York Times.
"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's letter read.
Why it matters: Gay was the first African-American person to hold the presidential post in the history of the prestigious university. Her tenure was also the shortest one ever (6 months and 2 days). This is also reportedly the second time in one month that the president of an Ivy League university has resigned after the controversial US Congress hearing, AP reported.
What they're saying: “She [Gay] believes passionately in Harvard’s mission of education and research, and she cares profoundly about the people whose talents, ideas, and energy drive Harvard. She has devoted her career to an institution whose ideals and priorities she has worked tirelessly to advance, and we are grateful for the extraordinary contributions she has made – and will continue to make – as a leader, a teacher, a scholar, a mentor, and an inspiration to many,” said the Harvard Corporation, the University's senior governing body.
“Racist mobs won’t stop until they topple all Black people from positions of power and influence who are not reinforcing the structure of racism,” award-winning author Ibram X Kendi was quoted as saying by AP.
Gay's resignation was “an attack on every Black woman in this country who’s put a crack in the glass ceiling” and an “assault on the health, strength, and future of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said prominent American civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton.
“A little context. A failure in leadership and denial of antisemitism have a price. I hope that the esteemed Harvard University will learn from this dismal conduct,” tweeted Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
Meanwhile, Harvard University's chief academic officer Alan M Garber will temporarily serve as president of the university, as per the report.
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