New Harvard President Claudine Gay Resigns, Shortest Tenure in History

Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday, January 2, ending her presidency and making history with the shortest presidency in the history of the University.

An update on Harvard University leadership. https://t.co/ky4rwdwDCX

— Harvard University (@Harvard) January 2, 2024

An email from the Harvard Corporation — the University’s highest governing body, disclosed that University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 will serve as Harvard’s interim president during a search for Gay’s permanent successor. Gay’s presidency is the shortest of any president in the history of Harvard since its founding in 1636. Harvard University followed with an official tweet and statement on her resignation. Initially, Jonathan L. Swain, the official spokesperson for Harvard declined to comment on Gay’s alleged decision.

“This is not a decision I came to easily,” Gay, the University’s 30th president, said in a message to the Harvard community. “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, she continued, “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 served 6 months and two days of her presidency after accusations from a far-right publication of plagiarism in her scholarly work. There was also discontent and criticism that surfaced after her alleged failure to respond to antisemitism when it appeared on campus following her congressional testimony on Dec 5. Outrage ensued when she was pressured to forcefully condemn the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and some pro-Palestinian student responses. She became the second Ivy League leader to lose her job in past weeks amid outrage over their congressional testimony regarding the alleged antisemitism on campus.

According to The Grio, “Dr. Gay started off by denouncing antisemitism on college campuses in an opening statement and acknowledged her own shortcomings in handling the backlash from the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians.”

"As former Presidents of Harvard University, we offer our strong support for Claudine Gay as she leads Harvard into the future. We look forward to supporting President Gay in whatever ways we can as Harvard faces this challenging moment for higher education and the wider world."…

— Harvard University (@Harvard) December 12, 2023

According to The New York Times, “The latest accusations against Dr. Gay were circulated through an unsigned complaint published Monday in The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative online journal that has led a campaign against Dr. Gay over the past few weeks.”

Three weeks prior Harvard declared unanimous support for Gay after “extensive deliberations” post-congressional hearing.