Outrageous: Harvard President Claudine Gay to Keep Near $900K Salary Despite Resignation
Outgoing Harvard President Claudine Gay will most likely retain a staggering salary of nearly $900,000 per year, despite being forced to resign from her position amid allegations of inaction against antisemitism and academic plagiarism.
This outrageous decision has sparked criticism and calls for more accountability at one of the world's most prestigious institutions.
Gay, a Political Science professor, will now return to her faculty position at the Cambridge, Massachusetts university. Prior to her brief tenure as president, she earned $879,079 as a Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean in 2021 and $824,068 in 2020, according to university records.
Harvard first faced calls to fire Gay after she stood by the more than 30 Harvard student groups that published a letter claiming they held Israel “entirely responsible” for Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
Although her new role has not been specified, it is expected that she will receive a salary comparable to, if not higher than, her previous earnings.
The exact portion of Gay's presidential salary of approximately $1 million that she will be entitled to after serving for just six months remains unclear. However, her predecessor, Lawrence Bacow, earned $1.3 million annually before his departure, as reported by the Harvard Crimson.
The decision to allow Gay to remain on the faculty has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, a Harvard graduate and vocal critic of Gay.
Stefanik argues that the plagiarism charges against Gay tarnish the school's reputation and render her unfit to continue as a faculty member. She asserts that it is unacceptable for a faculty member with nearly 50 instances of plagiarism to be allowed to stay at Harvard, especially considering the severe consequences that students would face for similar offenses.
Prior to being named president just six months ago, Gay earned $879,079 as a Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean in 2021 and $824,068 in 2020, according to records published by the university.
A member of Harvard's student Honor Council has accused the administration of having different ethical standards for faculty and students. The anonymous student highlighted the disparity in consequences, noting that a simple omission of a quotation mark or a missing citation could result in probation and the loss of "good standing" status for a student.
Following Gay's departure, there are growing calls for a shake-up of the board that publicly supported her until the end.
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Visiting Chemistry scholar Frank Laukien singled out Penny Pritzker, a billionaire Chicago hotel owner and Senior Fellow of the Harvard Corporation, calling for her immediate resignation and shared accountability. Laukien emphasized the need for new independent members on the Harvard Corporation who are not tainted by recent events and failures, challenging the long-standing cronyism at the top of the institution.
Gay, in her resignation statement, cited the need for the university to stabilize amid the controversy. She expressed her eagerness to return to a faculty post and engage in scholarship and teaching, which she described as the lifeblood of Harvard's mission.