Harvard's Claudine Gay: did she commit plagiarism?

Former Harvard University President Claudine Gay testifies before a House Education Committee, 5 December 2023. Gay resigned the presidency on January 3 2024, resuming her role as a Harvard professor.

Hey there: hope you enjoyed the holidays and 2024 is off to a great start. Today’s show focuses on the controversy surrounding Prof. Claudine Gay, the now-former president of Harvard University. She resigned her post just yesterday. Gay was Harvard's first Black president, and now she has made history once again by having the shortest presidential term in Harvard’s history. Two issues did her in: her handling of antisemitism, including during a congressional hearing, and plagiarism accusations. Did she actually commit plagiarism? What’s behind the effort to impugn her reputation? And what’s the path forward for fighting hate on campus?

[NOTE: Today’s episode aired just before Claudine Gay’s New York Times essay about her resignation.]

Also in this episode, I begin my look ahead at the big issues in 2024 you need to keep an eye out for. Yes, we have to focus on the presidential election, but that’s hardly the only election you need to watch… including in other countries.