Harvard President Claudine Gay resigns over plagiarism allegations, controversy over antisemitism testimony

New York [US], January 3 : Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned on Tuesday after facing a new round of accusations over plagiarism in her scholarly work, The New York Times reported.
Following her resignation, Gay became the second prominent figure from the Ivy League to leave in recent weeks, in the midst of a controversy sparked by their widely mocked congressional testimony about antisemitism on campuses.
Gay's departure from New York brought an abrupt conclusion to a difficult tenure that had started in July.
Her term as president was the shortest of any Harvard president since the university's inception in 1636. She was the second woman to head the university and the first Black president of the organisation, The New York Times reported.
"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," she wrote in a letter to the Harvard community.
The Harvard president has been the target of plagiarism allegations for the past month, raising concerns about her qualifications to lead the Ivy League school and further entangling the university in the debate over whether Harvard holds both its president and its students to the same standards.
After what some perceived as the university's initial unwillingness to strongly denounce the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and certain pro-Palestinian student responses, Gay's fledgling presidency started to erode.
Notably, Gay, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth had faced significant criticism after their recent appearances before Congress. They were questioned, particularly by Rep Elise Stefanik, NY, about their handling of antisemitism on their campuses in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.
Stefanik specifically inquired about the allowance of pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses and whether expressions advocating for the genocide of Jewish people during these demonstrations were considered bullying or harassment under their respective school codes of conduct.
"At Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard's rules of bullying and harassment?" Stefanik asked Gay specifically.
"It can be, depending on the context," Gay responded.
"Antisemitic speech when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, and intimidation--that is actionable conduct and we do take action," Gay said when pressed to answer "yes" or "no" if calls for the genocide of Jews break school rules.
The comments made by Gay, as well as similar statements from Magill and Kornbluth, sparked anger among Jewish groups, prominent alumni, and bipartisan lawmakers. Calls for the immediate resignation of each university president were voiced. Gay issued an apology for her remarks in a statement released after the hearing.
"I got caught up in what had become, at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures," Gay said. "What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community--threats to our Jewish students--have no place at Harvard and will never go unchallenged. Substantively, I failed to convey what my truth is."
"I got caught up in what had become, at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures," Gay said. "What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community--threats to our Jewish students--have no place at Harvard and will never go unchallenged. Substantively, I failed to convey what my truth is."
The Harvard Corporation mentioned Gay's apology in its statement and acknowledged that the university's initial response to the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel should have been "an immediate, direct, and unequivocal condemnation."
The Harvard Corporation mentioned Gay's apology in its statement and acknowledged that the university's initial response to the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel should have been "an immediate, direct, and unequivocal condemnation."
"Calls for genocide are despicable and contrary to fundamental human values. President Gay has apologised for how she handled her congressional testimony and has committed to redoubling the university's fight against antisemitism," the Corporation had said.