Benzinga - by Anthony Noto, Benzinga Editor.
Harvard University President Claudine Gay announced her resignation on Tuesday, just six months after assuming the prestigious position.
The announcement followed heightened scrutiny over allegations of plagiarism in some of her published works and a controversial appearance before Congress.
In a letter posted on Harvard's website, Gay, the university's first Black president, expressed her decision with a heavy heart, citing the difficulty of the choice.
She stated, "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."
The controversy escalated after a Dec. 5 Congressional hearing, where Gay, alongside the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and MIT, faced criticism over their answers regarding their institutions' policies in cases where students advocate genocide against Jews.
Hedge fun manager and Harvard alum Bill Ackman reacted to the plagiarism allegations, as well as Gay's recent appearance before Congress, via social media.
"This is a scandal and a stain on the reputation of Harvard that goes far beyond President Gay," the Pershing Square (OTC: PSHZF) founder said.
Here's his full statement, which was published before news of Gay's resignation was made public:
We now know that the @Harvard Corporation Board sought to quash a legitimate whistleblower inquiry into President Gay’s work by threatening the media with litigation if they published the whistleblower’s allegations, which the Board said were demonstrably false, but in fact were… https://t.co/ThBYVpB9KRNow Read: Elon Musk Voices Support For Bill Ackman In Battle Against Anti-Semitism At Ivy League— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) January 2, 2024
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