Harvard faculty appeal to the university’s board to address its growing number of crises

Some key members of Harvard’s faculty and the university’s top governing body held an extraordinary meeting last week to address the unprecedented problems at one of America’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning.

Some key members of Harvard’s faculty and the university’s top governing body held an extraordinary meeting last week to address the unprecedented problems at one of America’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning. Harvard faces many problems: rising antisemitism on campus and the university’s controversial response to it; President Claudine Gay’s ongoing plagiarism scandal; plunging applications and an Affirmative Action ruling from the Supreme Court that leaves the university with an uncertain future. The meeting, first reported by the New York Times, included Jeff Flier, a former dean of Harvard Medical School, and Steven Pinker, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, among two other faculty. They had a “very cordial and frank” discussion with nonprofit founder Tracy Palandjian and private-equity executive Paul Finnegan – both members of the Harvard Corporation – Flier told CNN. Finnegan also confirmed to CNN that the discussion over dinner took place last week. “We were asked to discuss our views of the problems, and what might be done over time to address them,” Flier said. “We did that – they asked many questions and we tried to answer them.” Flier said he urged the members of the university’s top governance board to address the copious problems facing Harvard in a more direct manner. The Harvard Corporation has put out few statements – either in support of Gay, regarding antisemitism on campus, or about Gay’s plagiarism. “If people are saying the university is making mistakes — they are talking about you!” Flier said he told the Corporation members. He first provided the quote to the New York Times.