Claudine Gay (born August 4, 1970)[2] is an American political scientist and academic administrator who is the Wilbur A. Cowett Professor of Government and of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University.
In December 2023, Gay and two other university presidents faced pressure from the public[5][6] and from a Congressional committee to resign, over responses to documented instances of antisemitic violence on the campus.
[29] Gay's priorities during her tenure as dean included anti-racism initiatives and increasing racial diversity on campus among students and faculty.
[34][35][36][37] Gay also sanctioned professor Martin Nowak for "unprofessional behavior" in his contacts with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
[38] Harvard Law School professor and Winthrop House faculty dean Ronald Sullivan faced student protests in spring 2019 after joining the legal defense team for Harvey Weinstein, who was on trial for rape.
[51] In early 2021, Gay announced that the cost of the FAS's core academic commitments were greater than its revenues and began processes to reduce expenses.
[53] In addition to her positions at Harvard, Gay served as a vice president of the Midwest Political Science Association from 2014 to 2017[54] and a trustee of Phillips Exeter from 2017 to 2023.
[59] In an email to affiliates, Gay wrote, "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[60] to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus.
"[61] In an op-ed the following day, Gay wrote that she "made mistakes", but her invitation to testify before Congress about antisemitism was a "well-laid trap", and the campaign to oust her was "[a] skirmish in a broader war to unravel public faith in pillars of American society".
In a December 2023 Congressional committee hearing, Gay and the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania were asked about institutional response to antisemitism on their campuses.
[67] When asked, by Elise Stefanik, if a hypothetical call for the genocide of Jewish people would qualify as a violation of Harvard's code of conduct, Gay responded, "It can be, depending on the context."
[69] In response, Gay apologized[70][71] and said that some people "have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students".
[76] The executive committee of Harvard's Alumni Association stated it "unanimously and unequivocally" supported Gay's leadership, praising her "for protecting academic freedom and the right of all students to voice their opinions".
"[78] Soon after the December congressional hearing, Gay was accused of plagiarism by conservative activist Christopher Rufo and journalist Aaron Sibarium,[11][79] and by an anonymous complaint.
[90] In response to the allegations, the congressional committee that held the hearing on antisemitism said it would examine Gay's work, and asked the university to produce related communications and documentation.
[59] Gay is married to Christopher Afendulis, an information systems analyst at Stanford's Department of Health Research and Policy.