« The critical work of defending a culture of free inquiry in our diverse community cannot proceed if we let its shape be dictated by outside forces, » read a letter signed by more than 500 faculty members.
In the wake of Tuesday’s widely panned congressional hearing on antisemitism, Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania have been facing growing calls from donors and business leaders to remove their presidents.
Liz Magill, the president of UPenn, resigned over the weekend.
However, some Harvard faculty members are calling for Harvard to resist calls to remove university president Claudine Gay. More than 500 faculty members signed a letter to the Harvard Corporation, urging the university’s governing body not to remove Gay, the Harvard Crimson reported on Sunday.
In the letter, the faculty members urged the university « to defend the independence of the university and to resist political pressures that are at odds with Harvard’s commitment to academic freedom, including calls for the removal of President Claudine Gay.
