(NewsNation) — Harvard University’s governing board has decided to keep Dr. Claudine Gay as president.
“In this tumultuous and difficult time, we unanimously stand in support of President Gay. At Harvard, we champion open discourse and academic freedom, and we are united in our strong belief that calls for violence against our students and disruptions of the classroom experience will not be tolerated,” the Fellows of Harvard College wrote in a statement.
The board acknowledged that Gay has made mistakes, but it believes she is the best leader for this moment in time.
“Calls for genocide are despicable and contrary to fundamental human values. President Gay has apologized for how she handled her congressional testimony and has committed to redoubling the University’s fight against antisemitism,” the statement said.
Only months into her leadership, Gay came under intense scrutiny following the hearing in which she and two of her peers answered questions about campus antisemitism.
Their academic responses provoked a backlash from Republican opponents, along with alumni and donors who say the university leaders are failing to stand up for Jewish students on their campuses.
The Harvard president was asked whether students calling for the genocide of Jews is a violation of the school’s code of conduct.
She repeatedly said it depends on the context of the situation.
This decision followed the resignation of Liz Magill as president of the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday. Donors threatened to pull money from the school because of what she said in regard to whether antisemitism was considered a code violation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.