The story of the sudden collapse of Harvard President Claudine Gay’s career should have nothing to do with DEI. The storyline should be about someone not qualified and prepared for the job being removed before any more damage could be done to the Harvard brand. But Gay herself made this situation about race with her poorly worded resignation.
Claudine Gay was President of Harvard University for a mere six months. The end of her tenure began with a very poor showing in front of Congress last month when three Presidents of Ivy League Colleges were asked to testify about anti-Semitic behavior on their campuses in response to the Israeli-Hamas conflict. The Presidents of Penn, MIT, and Harvard had difficulty condemning the antisemitism protests by their students. The three fell under incredible scrutiny because of their testimony. The University of Pennsylvania President M. Elizabeth Magill resigned last month, and the focus has been on Gay since, with many on both sides asking for her resignation. They got the resignation this week, but it was as ugly as her testimony.
In addition to Gay’s performance in front of Congress and her inability or desire to curb the anti-Israel protests, over 50 instances of plagiarism have been brought to light in many of Gay’s published works and her Doctorate dissertation. If a student at Harvard is found guilty of plagiarism, they are either suspended or removed permanently from the school. This policy does not apply equally to the school’s administrators. Though Gay has been removed as president, she will remain on Harvard’s faculty at a salary of nearly $800,000 yearly. She may be bruised, but still rewarded.
Gay’s comments as she leaves bring the ugly cloud of Racism into the situation, but also may disclose why she was named to the office. Al Sharpton said that Gay dented the glass ceiling, and her removal is happening partly because she is a Black woman. Many might say, especially after her talents have been scrutinized and her propensity to plagiarize is shown to be rampant, that she was only in the office because she is a Black woman. Claudine Gay might be the most prominent individual in academia to exemplify the dangers of DEI in the decision process for those placed in positions of authority. I specified academia because Joe Biden’s administration is the government’s example of your inadequate staff when based on DEI standards rather than meritocracy.
Gay claimed in her exit comments that she was frightened by the personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus she was subjected to. This comment is coming from a woman who did not take steps to protect Jewish students on her campus who feared for their lives because of the anti-Semitic animus their fellow Harvard students subjected to them. Gay says that she resigned from her position, but the truth is she was forced out. She was forced by irate donors and fueled by her performance and record. She may not have been hired on merit, but she certainly was pushed out because she lacked it.
The person Harvard chooses to replace, Claudine Gay, will show the status of DEI. Still, the evidence is mounting that this very dangerous methodology used to rank people harms education, business, and government. DEI must DIE for us to regain a higher level of excellence.
