Harvard President Claudine Gay cited “racial animus” in her resignation letter on Tuesday as one of the reasons for her decision to step down, and did not offer an apology for the allegations of plagiarism leveled against her.
Gay experienced multiple accusations of plagiarism in her scholarly works after a congressional hearing on antisemitism where she refused to say if calling for the genocide of Jews was a violation of the school’s code of conduct. Another round of plagiarism allegations rocked Gay Tuesday, and she announced her resignation but did not offer an apology in a letter to the university community. (RELATED: Universities Brought In Top PR Firms To Prepare Them For Antisemitism Hearing That Went Off The Rails)
“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 wrote in the letter.
“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 continued.
Over 70 Democratic and Republican Representatives called on Gay, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) President Liz Magill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth to resign following their testimony before the House Education Committee on Dec. 5. The committee opened an investigation into the universities’ “learning environments, policies, and disciplinary procedures” following the hearing, and Magill resigned as the president of UPenn on Dec. 9.
“These last weeks have helped make clear the work we need to do to build that future—to combat bias and hate in all its forms, to create a learning environment in which we respect each other’s dignity and treat one another with compassion, and to affirm our enduring commitment to open inquiry and free expression in the pursuit of truth,” Gay continued.
Gay issued multiple corrections to her scholarly works following the bevy of plagiarism allegations against her. The newest round of accusations brings nearly 50 instances of plagiarism and nearly two dozen fresh allegations against Gay.
Harvard and Gay did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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