Claudine Gay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Claudine Gay
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Gay in 2023
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| 30th President of Harvard University | |
| In office July 1, 2023 – January 2, 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Lawrence Bacow |
| Succeeded by | Alan Garber |
| Dean of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences | |
| In office August 15, 2018 – June 30, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Michael Smith |
| Succeeded by | Emma Dench (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 4, 1970 New York City, U.S. |
| Spouse | Christopher Afendulis |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Roxane Gay (cousin) |
| Education | Princeton University Stanford University (BA) Harvard University (PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Stanford University (2000–2006) Harvard University (2006–present) |
| Thesis | Taking Charge: Black Electoral Success and the Redefinition of American Policies (1997) |
| Doctoral advisor | Gary King |
Claudine Gay (born August 4, 1970) is an American political scientist and university leader. She is a professor at Harvard University, where she teaches about government and African and African-American studies. Her work focuses on how people vote and the role of race in politics.
From July 2023 to January 2024, Claudine Gay was the 30th president of Harvard University. She was the first Black person to lead Harvard. Before becoming president, she was a dean at the university.
In late 2023, Claudine Gay and other university presidents faced questions from the public and government officials. These questions were about how their universities handled concerns about hate speech and discrimination on campus. There were also questions about how she cited sources in some of her past academic writings. She later resigned from her role as president.
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Early Life and School
Claudine Gay's parents were immigrants from Haiti. They met in New York City while they were students. Her mother studied nursing, and her father studied engineering.
Claudine spent her childhood in New York and then in Saudi Arabia. Her father worked there for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Her mother was a registered nurse. Claudine Gay is a cousin of the well-known writer Roxane Gay.
High School and College
Claudine Gay went to Phillips Exeter Academy, a private boarding school. She graduated from there in 1988. She then attended Princeton University for one year.
After that, she transferred to Stanford University. She studied economics and graduated in 1992. She won an award for her best college paper in economics. Later, she earned her PhD degree in 1998 from Harvard University. She also won an award for her best PhD paper in political science.
Her Work in Academia
After finishing her studies, Claudine Gay became a professor at Stanford University. She taught in the Political Science Department from 2000 to 2006. She also spent time as a fellow at a special research center.
Her research looks at how Americans behave politically. This includes why people vote, rules about housing, and how race and identity affect politics. Harvard University asked her to join their faculty in 2006. She became a professor of African American studies in 2007.
Leading Roles at Harvard
In 2015, Claudine Gay became the dean of social sciences at Harvard. This meant she helped lead the social science departments. In 2018, she was chosen to be the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). This role meant she oversaw many different studies at Harvard.
As Dean of FAS, Claudine Gay focused on several key areas. She wanted to have more diverse professors. She also supported students who wanted to study different subjects together. She encouraged professors to work together across departments. And she wanted faculty to be more involved in the university community.
Her goals as dean included promoting fairness and increasing diversity. She worked to make the campus more welcoming for everyone. In 2020, FAS hired its first leader for diversity and inclusion. When a court decision changed how colleges could consider race in admissions, Gay said Harvard would follow the rules. But she also said Harvard's values of diversity would not change.
In 2019, Gay announced that Harvard would hire more professors for ethnic studies. She also started a review of how professors get permanent jobs (called tenure). This was after some concerns were raised. The review found that the process was mostly good, but some faculty felt unsure about it.
As dean, Gay also helped open a new large science and engineering building in 2021. This building included a new PhD program in quantum engineering.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harvard faced challenges. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences lost money in 2020. Gay worked to reduce costs and improve the financial situation. By the end of 2021, the FAS had a surplus, meaning they had more money than expected.
Besides her roles at Harvard, Gay also served on the board of Phillips Exeter Academy.
Becoming Harvard's President
In June 2022, Harvard's president, Lawrence Bacow, announced he would step down. A special committee looked at many candidates. They chose Claudine Gay to be the next president.
On December 15, 2022, Harvard announced that Gay would be the 30th president. She started her new job on July 1, 2023. She made history as the first Black president of Harvard University.
On January 2, 2024, Claudine Gay announced she was resigning. She wrote that it was hard to have people question her commitment to fighting hate and to academic standards. She also mentioned facing personal attacks and threats, some related to her race. She said she "made mistakes" but felt the situation was part of bigger disagreements in society.
After Gay resigned, Alan Garber, who was a provost at Harvard, became the interim president. Claudine Gay continued to be a professor at Harvard.
Congressional Hearing
After events in October 2023, Claudine Gay faced criticism for how Harvard responded to campus issues. In December 2023, she and the presidents of two other universities spoke at a meeting with government officials. They were asked about how their universities handled concerns about hate speech on campus. Many people criticized her answers.
However, many Harvard faculty members and alumni supported her. They said they believed in her leadership. Harvard's main governing board also supported her. They said she had apologized for her testimony and would work harder to fight hate on campus.
Questions About Her Work
Soon after the government hearing, some people raised questions about Claudine Gay's past academic writings. They said she might have used ideas or words from other sources without giving them proper credit. These questions were about nearly 50 instances in her work, including her PhD paper.
Harvard looked into these claims. They found "a few instances of inadequate citation" and "duplicative language without appropriate attribution." But they said it was not a violation of Harvard's rules for research. Claudine Gay asked for corrections to be made to her papers to add more citations. Some experts said that while her work contained similar wording, it didn't mean she stole the main ideas.
Because of these questions, the government committee that held the hearing said they would look into her work. The following month, she resigned from her role as president.
Personal Life
Claudine Gay is married to Christopher Afendulis. He works as an information systems analyst at Stanford University. They have one son.
