Harvard President Claudine Gay resigns

Harvard President Claudine Gay announced Tuesday she is stepping down amid a firestorm of controversy at the university.

Harvard President Claudine Gay announced Tuesday she is stepping down amid a firestorm of controversy at the university. “It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president,” Gay wrote in a letter to the Harvard community. “After consultation with members of the Corporation, 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 did not say when she plans to formally step down but she described the decision as “difficult beyond words.” “Amidst all of this, it has been distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor — two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am — and frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus,” Gay wrote. She is resigning just six months into her presidency. The first Black president in Harvard’s nearly 400-year history and the second woman, Gay acknowledged how short her tenure was. “When my brief presidency is remembered, I hope it will be seen as a moment of reawakening to the importance of striving to find our common humanity — and of not allowing rancor and vituperation to undermine the vital process of education,” Gay said.