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Harvard University president Claudine Gay resigns

Gay's short tenure is set to come to an end within hours in the wake of her calamitous congressional hearing appearance in which she declined to say outright that calls for the genocide of Jews violated campus rules. 

By Richard Ferrer
  • Richard Ferrer has been editor of Jewish News since 2009. As one of Britain's leading Jewish voices he writes for The Times, Independent, New Statesman and many other titles. Richard previously worked at the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, edited the Boston Jewish Advocate and created the Channel 4 TV series Jewish Mum Of The Year.
 2 January 2024, 6:18 pm
Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University, testifies before the House Education and Workforce Committee on December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Harvard University president Claudine Gay has resigned in the wake of her calamitous congressional hearing appearance in which she declined to say outright that calls for the genocide of Jews violated campus rules. 

Gay’s tenure at just six months and two days was the shortest in the university’s history. “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 wrote in a letter to the campus community.

The news comes just weeks after The Harvard Corporation, the school’s board, announced it would “reaffirm our support for President Gay.”

At the time the board said its decision had been unanimous, and the statement was signed by all 11 members.

Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University, Liz Magill, President of University of Pennsylvania, and Sally Kornbluth, President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee on December 5, 2023, in Washington, DC. The Committee held a hearing to investigate antisemitism on college campuses. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The board’s decision stood in stark contrast to the resignation of University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, along with that school’s board chair, after the now infamous congressional hearing.

Gay had been under fire since Hamas’ attack on Israel, which some Jewish and pro-Israel critics said she did not condemn forcefully enough, especially as a coalition of Harvard student groups claimed the 7 October atrocities were Israel’s fault.

Gay was appointed the first black president of Harvard last July.

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