I may be among the few who think Claudine Gay’s head is still on the chopping block.
Harvard’s Corporate Board may have expressed unanimous support for Gay, but it’s pretty clear they did so mainly because they didn’t want to appear weak in the face of donor and political pressure to dump her. They likely also feared that Gay would make a huge stink, likely accusing them of racismsexismblahblahphobia because that is her whole shtick.
Not that they have let me in on their deliberations, but these guys are smart and know that Gay is a liability. They just need a more graceful way to get rid of her. Compared to forcing Larry Summers out for stating the obvious, Gay’s ouster would be a no-brainer under most circumstances. Under these circumstances? Pride likely stopped them from doing the obvious.
So I still think her tenure at Harvard will be short and that the Board will…
