Harvard President Claudine Gay is resigning from her role on Tuesday, bringing to an end a tenure marred by allegations of plagiarism and criticism over her handling of antisemitism on campus.

What You Need To Know

  • Harvard President Claudine Gay, the first Black person to lead the acclaimed Ivy League university, is resigning from her role on Tuesday

  • She was first thrust into the national spotlight after testifying at a congressional hearing on antisemitism on college campuses in December amid the war between Israel and Hamas

  • Gay, alongside then-President of the University of Pennsylvania Liz Magill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, faced widespread criticism for their responses to a question from New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik about whether calls for the genocide of Jewish people would constitute a violation of their institution's code of conduct

  • She later apologized for her remarks in an interview with The Harvard Crimson, saying she “got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures"

"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," Gay wrote in a note to the Harvard community. "This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries."

"But ... 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," she added.

Gay went on to say that she will "return to the faculty" of the university.

In a statement, the Harvard Corporation said that Alan Garber, the school's Provost and Chief Academic Officer, will step into the role in an interim basis while the search for a permanent leader begins.

"While President Gay has acknowledged missteps and has taken responsibility for them, it is also true that she has shown remarkable resilience in the face of deeply personal and sustained attacks," the statement reads. "While some of this has played out in the public domain, much of it has taken the form of repugnant and in some cases racist vitriol directed at her through disgraceful emails and phone calls. We condemn such attacks in the strongest possible terms."

The news was first reported by The Harvard Crimson, the university's newspaper, and The Boston Globe. 

Gay, who started as president in July 2023, was the first Black person to lead the acclaimed Ivy League university. According to the Crimson, her tenure as president is the shortest in the school's history.

She was first thrust into the national spotlight after testifying at a congressional hearing on antisemitism on college campuses in December amid the war between Israel and Hamas. Gay, alongside then-President of the University of Pennsylvania Liz Magill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, faced a grilling from House Republicans about the rising rate of antisemitic incidents on campuses nationwide.

The three leaders faced widespread criticism from both sides of the aisle for their responses to a question from New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik about whether calls for the genocide of Jewish people would constitute a violation of their institution's code of conduct.

"We do not sanction individuals for their political views or their speech," Gay said at the hearing. "When that speech crosses into conduct that violates our behavior-based policies, bullying, harassment and intimidation, we take action."

She later apologized for her remarks in an interview with The Harvard Crimson, saying she “got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures.”

“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,” she told the outlet.

Magill quickly resigned as UPenn's president following the hearing, while MIT's board swiftly rallied behind Kornbluth.

Stefanik celebrated the news in a social media post on Tuesday, writing "TWO DOWN" in all-caps — referring to Kornbluth and Gay — and adding that the latter's resignation "is just the beginning of what will be the greatest scandal of any college or university in history."

Harvard's board said last month that it was standing by Gay after a group of more than 650 members of Harvard’s faculty signed a letter urging the school's board of directors "to defend the independence of the university and to resist political pressures that are at odds with Harvard’s commitment to academic freedom."

"Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing," the Harvard Corporation said in a statement at the time.

Separately, Gay faced multiple allegations of plagiarism. After conducting a review, the school found a handful of instances of "inadequate citation," but nothing rising to the level of misconduct.

In a social media post Tuesday, Stefanik accused the Harvard Corporation of being "complicit in covering up this massive scandal with unbelievable arrogance and cavalier attitudes that irreparably damaged Harvard’s academic integrity and moral leadership."