Harvard’s embattled president steps down

By Daniel Arkin and Adam Reiss CAMBRIDGE, MA — Harvard University President Claudine Gay, who has been under intense scrutiny for testimony she gave at a congressional hearing on campus anti-Semitism, as well as allegations of plagiarism in her academic work, will resign. “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 said in a letter to the Harvard community. “This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries.” But after consulting with the university’s highest governing board, Gay added, “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’s six-month tenure is the shortest in the university’s 388-year history, according to the Harvard Crimson student newspaper. She was the first Black person and the second woman to lead the...