Claudine Gay's role as president of Harvard is in jeopardy following her testimony in Congress, as she is now accused of restricting freedom of speech and firing a law professor for defending Harvey Weinstein.
The academic, 53, survived a scheduled Harvard board meeting on Sunday amid calls for her removal, but her future at the Ivy League remains uncertain as billionaire Bill Ackman has launched a campaign for her removal.
Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania is the only one of the three Ivy League presidents to resign following their testimony last week — but pressure is mounting on Harvard to let go of Gay, who said calls for a “genocide of the Jews' would only be intimidation. 'depending on the context.'
Meanwhile, more than 640 Harvard faculty members have signed a letter in support of Gay, calling on the school to resist calls to fire her, describing the attacks against her as “politically motivated.”
But on Sunday, Ackman sent a letter to Harvard, his alma mater, accusing Gay of “doing more damage to Harvard's reputation than anyone in the history of the university.”
Claudine Gay's role as president of Harvard is in jeopardy after her testimony in Congress
Billionaire Harvard alum Bill Ackman has launched a new wave of accusations against her
Former Winthrop House faculty dean Ronald Sullivan accused Gay of firing him from his role because of his work on Harvey Weinstein's defense team
The billionaire demanded that the university's board of trustees review Gay's history, including allegations of plagiarism and of discriminating against those who do not fit the mold of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
Ackman also mentioned the case of former Winthrop House faculty dean Ronald Sullivan, who accused Gay in 2019 of firing him from his role over his work on Harvey Weinstein's defense team.
The law professor, the first black dean of a Harvard school, accused Gay and Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana of lying about their motives for firing him, saying it was because he fostered a toxic work environment.
“The actions were cowardly and cowardly and Dean Gay and Dean Khurana just consistently and repeatedly lied to the students and they know better,” he said, according to The Harvard Crimson.
“Their problem was that I represented an unpopular person… They said it to my face and other senior members said it to my face and then they turned around and lied to the students.”
Ackman said, “As dean, Gay showed no respect for basic American legal principles when she fired Harvard Law School Professor Ronald Sullivan as dean in residence for assuming the legal defense of Harvey Weinstein. President Gay must hope that one day, when she needs advice, she will be able to get good representation for herself.”
Harvard has denied that the decision was a result of Sullivan's work with Weinstein, which sparked protests on campus. Sullivan remains a professor of law at Harvard.
In his letter to the Harvard administration, Ackman also cited Harvard's plummet in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) College Free Speech Rankings since Gay took over. Although the school never ranked high on the list, it achieved its worst ranking ever, landing in very last place.
FIRE said, “Harvard completed its downward spiral in dramatic fashion, coming in last with its worst score ever: 0.00 out of a possible 100.00. This earns it the infamous distinction of being the only school ranked this year with a “terrible” speech climate.”
Gay, a professor of government and African and African-American studies, was inaugurated as Harvard's first black president in July. She has expressed an interest in DEI policy and founded the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging.
Ackman claimed that “OEDIB's actions have led to bias and favoritism for certain racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ groups at the expense of other groups, and have made some members of the Harvard community feel included at the expense of others they were excluded.'
The billionaire was accused of racism when he suggested that Gay was only hired because she fit the DEO profile.
In his latest open letter, he said: “I was recently accused of being a racist by several bloggers and other commentators when I shared that the board, in the search process that led to the appointment of President Gay, did not select a candidate for election in would take into consideration. president who did not meet DEI criteria.
“I have now confirmed from multiple sources that the search committee that led to President Gay's appointment excluded non-DEI eligible candidates from the process.”
DailyMail.com has not independently verified Ackman's claim.
Ackman also shared accusations of plagiarism against Gay by bloggers Christopher Rufo and Christopher Brunet, who claim the Harvard leader retracted identical wording from her 1997 dissertation.
The bloggers accuse Gay of using almost literal language from authors Lawrence Bobo and Franklin Gilliam and scientist Carol Swain.
Swain responded to the claims on Twitter, writing: 'I just heard about the analysis of #ClaudineGay's work and the accusations of plagiarism. I have not read the articles or books in question. However, two things come to mind: imitation would be the highest form of flattery and second, Dr. Gay's committee, reviewers and colleagues must recognize these alleged violations.”
A billboard at Harvard University on Sunday demanded the ouster of President Claudine Gay
The author added, “I would like to know if (Gay) has quoted me in her published works on districts and representation. This would have had many long-term consequences for my career. In science we are rewarded based on citations.'
Gay has apologized for her actions at last week's hearing, but the backlash continues.
On Sunday tTwo billboard floats repeating her remarks to Congress were sent to the Massachusetts campus.
Gay, UPenn's Liz Magill and MIT's Sally Kornbluth were summoned before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Tuesday by lawmakers concerned about reports of a rise in anti-Semitism at top universities.
They faced heated questions from committee chair Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), but failed to argue that calls for genocide against Jews on campus would definitively constitute harassment.
“This is just the very beginning of addressing the widespread rot of anti-Semitism that has destroyed America's most 'prestigious' institutions of higher education,” Stefanik wrote Saturday evening.
Adding, “Harvard and MIT, do the right thing. The world is watching.'
Just minutes after Magill's statement announcing her departure, Upenn Board of Trustees Chairman Scott Bok also resigned.
UPenn President Liz Magill resigned from her position on Saturday
MIT President Dr. Sally Kornbluth was also questioned about her school's response to protests. She also failed to outwardly condemn the calls for genocide against the Jews
Bok vice chairman Julie Beren Platt has been appointed interim chairman of the board of directors.
In a statement issued Saturday evening, Magill wrote: “It has been my privilege to serve as president of this remarkable institution.
“It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni and community members to advance Penn's essential missions.”
In his own resignation statement, Bok defended Magill as a “good person” who is “not an iota anti-Semitic” but has made a “misstep” after “months of brutal attacks from outside.”
Gay apologized for her comments on Thursday as the backlash intensified. She told the university newspaper The Crimson that she became “caught up in what had become at that moment: an extended, combative exchange over policies and procedures.”
“What I should have had the presence of mind at that moment was to return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community – threats to our Jewish students – have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged. she added.
