How Harvard President Claudine Gay was forced to resign during a Christmas vacation in Rome due to plagiarism and anti-Semitism scandals

Former Harvard President Claudine Gay was on Christmas vacation in Rome with her family when she agreed to resign under pressure, a new report has found.

Gay, desperate for a breather after a barrage of criticism over plagiarism allegations and her lukewarm response to anti-Semitism on campus, left on December 22 for the long-planned trip, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

On December 27, Harvard University Board of Governors leader Penny Pritzker called her and asked if she felt there was a way out with her as chairman, people familiar with the matter said. phone call to the Times.

Although the question was posed as an open question, Pritzker's implication was apparently clear, and the phone conversation ended with Gay's agreement to resign.

It marked a stunning turnaround after weeks of staunch public support for Gay from members of the Harvard Corporation, as the university's governing body is known, despite the unfolding scandals.

On December 27, Penny Pritzker (above), the leader of Harvard University's board of trustees, called Gay and asked if she felt there was a path forward with her in the president's chair.

The board members, including during their own Christmas break, faced a new barrage of criticism and input from friends and family members they encountered during the break, which may have played a role in their decision, according to the Times.

In addition, several board members had children attending Harvard, and at least one worried that their children would be harassed by other students because of their parents' board positions and the Gay controversy.

The new report also shows that, in addition to their public statement expressing support for Gay on December 12, board members privately approached the president and asked her to help propose a turnaround plan.

Gay's staff came up with a proposal they called the “spring reset,” which would require her to make a slew of campus appearances, hold office hours and create task forces to tackle both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

However, according to the Times, a new scandal in the form of plagiarism allegations arose on December 19 before Gay could send her plan to the board.

When Gay subsequently sent the proposal, some board members took it as a sign that they did not appreciate the seriousness of the new allegations, which ultimately included 40 instances of plagiarism in Gay's academic work.

Earlier this week, Gay spoke out in a New York Times op-ed say racial animus played a role in her ouster.

She revealed that she had received death threats and been called the n-word numerous times since making headlines in October.

A group known as 'Fire Claudine Gay' deployed a panel truck with an electronic billboard outside the Harvard Campus with a message protesting Gay

Gay also warned that the campaign to remove her was about more than one university and one leader.

“This was just one skirmish in a broader war to unravel public belief in the pillars of American society,” Gay wrote. “Those who have campaigned relentlessly to oust me since the fall have often trafficked in lies and ad hominem insults,” she added.

But Gay did not use the word “plagiarism” in her essay, only admitting that she had misattributed quotes in her academic writings. These accusations – which were ultimately leveled at half of Gay's published work – are said to have cost her her job at Harvard.

And she even applauded the work in question, calling it “cutting-edge,” while claiming that she herself had published work that had “produced important research by other scientists.”

Gay wrote: “On Tuesday I made the heartbreaking but necessary decision to resign as president of Harvard. For weeks, both myself and the institution to which I have dedicated my professional life have been under fire.'

'My character and intelligence have been questioned. My commitment to combating anti-Semitism has been questioned. My inbox is flooded with swear words, including death threats. I've been called the N-word more times than I care to count.”

She added: “My hope is that by resigning I will deprive demagogues of the opportunity to further weaponize my presidency in their campaign to undermine the ideals that have animated Harvard since its founding: excellence, openness, independence, truth .'