Now that Liz Magill has resigned as president of the University of Pennsylvania, attention has shifted to Claudine Gay, her counterpart at Harvard University.
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York commented on social media, stating, “One down. Two to go,” with the “two” referring to Gay and MIT President Sally Kornbluth. Stefanik, a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, had pressed President Gay about addressing alleged incidents of antisemitism on campus. Stefanik claimed that Gay failed to explicitly condemn calls for the genocide of Jews as violations of Harvard’s code of conduct during their exchange.
The House Committee called on Magill, Gay, and Kornbluth to testify about their responses to antisemitism on their campuses following the Israel-Hamas war. The testimonies of all three university leaders received criticism for not unequivocally condemning calls for the genocide of Jews as violations of campus harassment codes. Now that Liz Magill
In response to the backlash, a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter urging the removal of university leaders from Harvard, Penn, and MIT. Despite the controversy, hundreds of faculty members have signed a petition in support of President Gay.
President Gay later apologized for her remarks, acknowledging that she should have focused on rejecting violence against the Jewish community. However, some major donors, including billionaire hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman, remain critical of Gay. Ackman expressed concerns about the safety of Jewish students at Harvard and suggested that, given the current circumstances, President Gay should not be considered for the position.
Harvard is one of several academic institutions to come under fire in recent months over alleged antisemitism on campuses following the terror attacks by Hamas on October 7 and Israel’s subsequent strikes on Gaza. Harvard is also among 14 colleges under investigation by the Department of Education since the attacks “for discrimination involving shared ancestry” an umbrella term that covers both Islamophobia and antisemitism.