Claudine Gay
Claudine Gay (born 1970) is an American political scientist and academic administrator who is the Wilbur A. Cowett Professor of Government and of African and African-American Studies at Harvard. Gay's research addresses American political behavior, including voter turnout and politics of race and identity.
Claudine Gay | |
|---|---|
Gay in 2023 | |
| 30th President of Harvard University | |
| In office July 1, 2023 – January 2, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Lawrence Bacow |
| Succeeded by | Alan Garber (interim) |
| Dean of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences | |
| In office August 15, 2018 – June 30, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Smith |
| Succeeded by | Emma Dench (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1970 (age 53–54) New York City, U.S. |
| Spouse | Christopher Afendulis |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Roxane Gay (cousin) |
| Education | Princeton University Stanford University (BA) Harvard University (PhD) |
| Academic background | |
| Thesis | Taking Charge: Black Electoral Success and the Redefinition of American Policies (1997) |
| Doctoral advisor | Gary King |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Political science |
| Institutions | Stanford University (2000–2006) Harvard University (2006–present) |
From July 1, 2023, until January 2, 2024, Gay was the 30th president of Harvard University. She became the first Black president of Harvard after having served as the dean of Social Sciences and the dean of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
In December 2023, Gay and two other university presidents faced pressure from the public and from a Congressional committee to resign, over responses to alleged antisemitism on their campuses. Gay also faced myriad accusations of plagiarism, including a probe by the same committee. The following month she resigned from the presidency.