Harvard President Claudine Gay Steps Down: Resignation Announced

Harvard University’s 30th president, Claudine Gay, has resigned from her position, effective immediately. In a message to the Harvard community, Gay explained that while her decision was challenging, it was in the best interests of Harvard for her to step down.

This allows the community to navigate the current extraordinary challenges with a focus on the institution rather than any individual. Gay will return to the Harvard faculty, where she has been a professor of government since 2006.

Provost Alan M. Garber ’76, Harvard’s chief academic officer, will serve as interim president until a new leader for Harvard is identified and assumes office. In a message to the community, Garber expressed his deep respect and admiration for Claudine Gay and his dedication to Harvard.

He emphasized that his focus during this interim period will be on advancing the University’s mission and contributing to the healing and strengthening of a University that he holds dear.

The search for a new president will involve extensive community engagement and consultation, according to members of the Corporation. They also expressed their appreciation for the broader Harvard community’s work and extended their thanks to everyone for their ongoing commitment to Harvard’s crucial educational and research mission, as well as to core values of excellence, inclusiveness, and free inquiry and expression.

The fellows of the Harvard Corporation, the University’s senior governing body, thanked Gay and commended her commitment to Harvard and its people in their own message to the community.

They also expressed gratitude to Garber for stepping in to lead the University during the interim period ahead, highlighting his 12 years of distinguished service as provost.

Garber, an economist and physician, holds academic appointments at Harvard Medical School, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Kennedy School, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Before becoming Harvard provost in 2011, he spent 25 years on the faculty at Stanford. At Stanford, he founded and directed the Center for Health Policy and the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research and served as a staff physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Health Care System.