Claudine Gay’s first hundred days as the first African President of the prestigious Harvard University, United States of America since July 2023, is busy.
And she is of Haitian descent. She has been as regal as her ancestors in the face of political pressure from within and without.
Even as we celebrate her, she has been heavily criticised by her own colleagues. Her first accuser amongst them is a former President, Lawrence H. Summers has joined others to blame her administration for not responding quickly to the violence in Israel.
Thirty-two student groups in Harvard have made a racket about the Israel-Hamas war. According to him, Harvard University should separate themselves from the students. Take a stand. React to the students. Harvard is a cauldron of all race and ethnicity, how can her administration manage this sensitive situation?
Another colleague, Professor Theda Skocpol is not satisfied with the response of her administration to the students. ‘It is senseless’, she says. And so she is calling for Gay’s resignation. The professor is not alone. There are others in the school system who share Skocpol’s thoughts.
Gay has also been asked to resign by a politician, Elise Stefanik .
Meanwhile, she inherited a few crucial internal issues she is gradually sorting out. One of them is a court ruling against University of Harvard.
Pressure coming from within from fellow colleagues and pressure from politicians who are outside the school system have come to the fore towards the end of her first hundred days.
So far, she has shown her royal Haitian roots by keeping calm. Certainly she will excel using her past experiences, female instinct and wisdom.
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