Harvard president resigns amid criticism

Harvard President Claudine Gay wrote in a message published on Tuesday that she’d resigned after consultation with the Harvard Corporation, its advisory board. Congressional Republicans have criticized Gay since her Dec. 5 testimony before a committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Gay had said only context could determine whether controversial statements, such as calls for the genocide of Jewish people, violated Harvard’s rules against hate speech. She also faces several allegations of plagiarism in academic papers.

What does this mean for Harvard? University Provost Alan Garber will serve as interim president following Gay’s resignation, the university said. Gay was the school’s first black person and second woman to hold the office of president at the university. She served as president for only about six months, making her tenure the shortest in the school’s history.

Dig deeper: Read Nathan A. Finn’s column in WORLD Opinions about how Claudine Gay’s conduct has marred Harvard’s reputation.