Embattled Harvard University President Claudine Gay has announced her resignation on Tuesday following allegations of plagiarism and controversy surrounding her testimony before Congress last month. The news of her resignation was first reported by The Harvard Crimson.

In a heartfelt letter to the school community, Gay expressed her heavy heart but deep love for Harvard as she made the difficult decision to step down as president. She stated that after consultation with members of the Corporation, it became clear that it was in the best interests of Harvard for her to resign, allowing the community to navigate the challenging moment with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.

Gay emphasized her commitment to confronting hate and upholding scholarly rigor, two values that she holds dear. She expressed distress at having doubt cast upon these commitments and being subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus.

Despite her resignation as president, Gay will remain a faculty member at Harvard, as confirmed by the Harvard Corporation. In a statement, the Corporation expressed gratitude for Gay's unwavering commitment to the pursuit of academic excellence and acknowledged the significant contributions she has made as a leader, teacher, scholar, mentor, and inspiration to many.

The decision to resign followed allegations of plagiarism in Gay's academic writings and backlash over her response during a congressional hearing regarding antisemitism on college campuses. Gay testified alongside other university leaders about how they are handling antisemitism following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.

A tense exchange between Gay and New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik drew criticism and intensified calls for Gay to step down. Stefanik questioned whether calling for the genocide of Jews violated Harvard's rules on bullying and harassment. Gay responded by stating that action would be taken if the language amounted to bullying and harassment according to the rules.

Both Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, where Gay testified alongside its then-President Liz Magill, are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobic discrimination. Magill also resigned from her position at the University of Pennsylvania in early December.

Gay further clarified her stance in a subsequent statement, emphasizing that Harvard does not condone violence or calls for violence against any religious or ethnic group. She called such calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community or any other group "vile" and stated that they have no place at Harvard.

New York Republican Representative Elise Stefanik applauded Gay's resignation, stating that it was long overdue and criticizing her answers during the congressional hearing for lacking moral leadership and academic integrity.

In addition to the controversy surrounding her congressional testimony, Gay has also faced allegations of plagiarism in her past academic work. In response, she requested an independent review of her published work, which found instances of inadequate citation but no violation of Harvard's standards of research misconduct. Gay will be making corrections to her articles to include missing citations and quotation marks.

During her tenure, Gay made history as the first person of color and second woman to serve as president at Harvard University. She assumed the presidency in July 2023, marking the shortest tenure for a president in the university's 386-year history.

Alan M. Garber, Harvard's provost and chief academic officer, will serve as interim president until a full-time replacement is hired, according to the Harvard Corporation. The search for a new president will now begin as the university moves forward from this resignation.