Harvard University faces increasing pressure to resolve one of the most fractious chapters in its history after the ouster of President Claudine Gay.
The school’s first Black leader resigned Tuesday after just six months — a historic elevation cut short by allegations of plagiarism and anger over her handling of antisemitism on campus in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The tumult has tarnished the oldest and richest U.S. university’s brand, led to a revolt among its wealthy donors and deepened rifts between faculty, students and administrators. Harvard Corp., the institution’s top governing authority, is poised to undertake a search for her successor against that backdrop, with the university at the center of broader national debates over academic freedom, free speech, diversity and governance — issues that have divided the campus for years.