Harvard president gets university board’s backing amid congressional hearing backlash

Dr. Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University, testifies before the House Education and Workforce Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on Dec. 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Embattled Harvard President Claudine Gay cleared a hurdle to keeping her job after the Harvard Corporation board issued a statement unanimously affirming its support for her amid backlash over her response at a congressional hearing to a question about the “genocide of Jews.”

“As members of the Harvard Corporation, we today reaffirm our support for President Gay’s continued leadership of Harvard University,” the Harvard Corporation said in a statement to the university community on Monday. “Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing.”

The board added, “In this tumultuous and difficult time, we unanimously stand in support of President Gay.”

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