Claudine Gay: Harvard president’s tumultuous months in the spotlight

In the past two and half months, Harvard University President Claudine Gay has faced an onslaught of backlash from donors, politicians and business leaders over concerns of antisemitism at the nation’s oldest higher education institution.

In the past two and half months, Harvard University President Claudine Gay has faced an onslaught of backlash from donors, politicians and business leaders over concerns of antisemitism at the nation’s oldest higher education institution. Barely three months after her historic inauguration as Harvard’s first Black woman president, Gay helped mediate rising tensions on campus following the terror attacks by Hamas on October 7 and Israel’s subsequent strikes on Gaza. Gay addressed an amalgam of issues related to freedom of speech, hate speech and political debate. After being called to testify on Capitol Hill earlier this month, Gay faced mounting pressure to resign because she equivocated about questions involving antisemitism on campus, even as alumni, faculty, and the school’s governing board came to her support. If you’re just catching up, here’s everything you need to know about the flurry of criticism. October 7: A coalition of student groups at Harvard released a statement placing blame for Hamas’ attack on Israel’s government shortly after Hamas leveled the biggest terrorist attack in Israel’s history — killing more than 1,400 people and taking more than 200 people hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The letter drew sweeping condemnation from business leaders, who called for the students whose groups signed the statement to be blacklisted. A spokesperson for the coalition later wrote in a statement that the group “staunchly opposes violence against civilians — Palestinian, Israeli, or other.”