Harvard University Appoints First Black President
Gay brings new perspectives and experiences to Harvard University.
February 12, 2023
It is hard to be what you cannot see. On December 15th, 2022, Harvard University announced that Dr. Claudine Gay, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, will become its first Black (and second female) president. This paves the way for young Black girls to dream more freely of one day holding this renowned position.
Gay’s academic and administrative accomplishments qualify her to tackle this role. She wrote an award-winning dissertation in Political Science at Harvard and was subsequently hired as a professor in their prestigious Department of Government. Additionally, she became the university’s Dean of Social Sciences and went on to break her first of many significant barriers by becoming the first woman and first person of color to be dean of its flagship Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
During her time as dean, she was praised for her judgment, compassion, and initiative. Ultimately, her appreciation for Harvard inspires her to strive for this excellence as an administrator. On December 15th during a reception at the Smith Center, she remarked, “I love [Harvard] … It has nurtured and inspired me since I first set foot in the yard. I am deeply invested not only in what Harvard is today but also what Harvard leadership means for the future.” Gay will lead the university through significant change.
At this reception, Gay described two ideals essential to her vision for Harvard: internal collaboration and external connection. She told the Register Forum that innovation at Harvard requires interdisciplinary teamwork. Gay pictures the first step as “defining a collective agenda around these important questions.” She also conveyed the importance of outward relations at the reception, stating, “We don’t exist outside of society, but as part of it. And that means Harvard has a duty to lean in and engage and to be in service to the world.” One of these commitments is Harvard’s connection to CRLS through the extension courses, summer school, and more. Gay told the Register Forum that “Ensuring these vital connections to the CRLS community will continue to be a priority for Harvard.”
As president, Gay confronts administering a concerned student body. When it comes to managing recent sexual violence allegations, she will face walking the thin line between over-protection and student unease. Additionally, she will undertake the preservation of Harvard’s diverse community if the ongoing lawsuit against affirmative action succeeds. She must also properly acknowledge the recent report on its disconcerting legacy of slavery while appropriately allocating the university’s reparations. Regarding the latter, she will be diligent, telling the Register Forum, “I am committed to learning from the difficult truths in the report and to fully embracing the challenges it sets out before us.”
Gay will lead the university through significant change. In contrast to her cautious predecessor, Gay proved she can administer with confidence during her time as a dean. There are hopes that she will satisfy many’s desire for reform. Symbolically, Gay represents a new age of Harvard’s accountability and Black advancement. CRLS student Audrey Jordano ’25 told the Register Forum, “I think it [is] essential that big institutions like Harvard diversify their leadership, because higher education has been inequitable for so long, and this is a good step towards ongoing improvement.”
This article also appears in our January 2022 print edition.
