Harvard's prestigious president, Claudine Guy, submitted her resignation on Tuesday, amid criticism that her comments were seen as vague on issues linked to anti-Semitism on campus and accusations of plagiarism.
With a heavy heart, but with deep love for Harvard, I write to announce that I will be stepping down from my position as President
Ms. Jay wrote in a letter to the Harvard community.
His term will be the shortest in the university's history since its founding in 1636, indicating… The New York Timeswhich reminds that Mrs. Jay was the first president from the African American community and the second woman to lead the institution.
She stated in her letter published on the university’s website that she had been subjected to threats and racism.
It was complicated to see my commitments to confronting hate and upholding academic rigor questioned […] It is frightening to be subject to personal attacks and threats fueled by racism
she writes.
Claudine Guy, 53, was born in New York to a family of Haitian immigrants, but received the support of the university's board of directors on December 12. The highest authority at Harvard University has expressed this Confidence that Chief Jay is the right leader to help our community [universitaire] To address the very serious societal issues we face
.
A petition of nearly 700 professors opposed the appeals Political pressures
She aims to obtain the resignation of Claudine Guy, who is accused of mismanaging anti-Semitism problems on campus.
Since the deadly attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7, which was followed by deadly retaliations by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, the conflict has unleashed emotions at famous universities in the United States, including Harvard.
On December 5, in a tense atmosphere, Claudine Guy and her counterparts from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and the American University in Cairo met. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Elizabeth Magill and Sally Kornbluth answered questions from elected officials in the House of Representatives for five hours.
Among them is Republican Elise Stefanik, who accepted the invitationsuprising
To pro-Palestinian students to encourage them to do so Genocide against Jews in Israel and around the world
.
When Ms. Stefanik asked if Advocating the extermination of Jews violates Harvard's harassment regulations, yes or no
Mrs. Jay replied: This can, depending on the context
before adding: If it is directed to someone.
A few days after the controversy sparked by these comments, Elizabeth Magill left her position as president of the University of Pennsylvania, and 70 elected officials, most of them Republicans, demanded Ms. Gay’s departure.
Recently, Ms. Jay has been accused of several plagiarism cases in the American media. However, an investigation by Harvard's Board of Trustees concluded that Ms. Gay had not violated university rules.
With information from Agence France-Presse
