Details of how Harvard President, Claudine Gay plagiarized sections of her Ph.D. dissertation has been revealed, The Herald report.
In the report published Sunday, political activist, Christopher Rufo and Christopher Brunet an investigative reporter detailed accusations that Gay lifted entire sections of text from other academics to pad her own paper. This dissertation was then submitted to Harvard for review in 1997, allowing Gay to obtain her Doctor of Psychology degree and eventually become the school’s leading administrator.
According the the report, two passages in the dissertation appear to have been taken from Carol M. Swain’s book, “Black Faces, Black Interests.”
EXCLUSIVE: @RealChrisBrunet and I have obtained documentation demonstrating that Harvard President Claudine Gay plagiarized multiple sections of her Ph.D. thesis, violating Harvard's policies on academic integrity.
This is a bombshell. 🧵
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 10, 2023
Rufo continues:
First, Gay lifts an entire paragraph nearly verbatim from a paper by Lawrence Bobo and Franklin Gilliam’s, while passing it off as her own paraphrase and language.
This is a direct violation of Harvard's policy: "When you paraphrase, your task is to distill the source’s ideas… pic.twitter.com/t6enHp3dN9
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 10, 2023
Here’s the evidence he posted on X:
Harvard Alums React
The Herald reports that Harvard alums outraged by the revelation, called on Gay to be dismissed from her position.
“I asked a senior member of the @Harvard faculty to examine the below allegations of plagiarism against President Gay,” Pershing Square CEO and Harvard alum Bill Ackman said. “The faculty member found them to be credible.”
Please see my letter today to @Harvard governing boards of directors:
December 10, 2023
Dear Members of the Harvard Governing Boards:
In her short tenure as President, Claudine Gay has done more damage to the reputation of Harvard University than any individual in our nearly…
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) December 10, 2023
“The Harvard President plagiarized her dissertation,” Harvard alum and former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell wrote. “She must be fired. This is embarrassing for Harvard’s academic credibility.”
The Harvard President plagiarized her dissertation.
She must be fired.
This is embarrassing for Harvard’s academic credibility. https://t.co/odstXKs6Ac
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) December 11, 2023
President Gay is ruining @Harvard’s reputation.
Fire her now. https://t.co/kgwhmSoxoq
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) December 11, 2023
Gay has been under fire since her December 5 testimony to Congress about antisemitism on Harvard’s campus. During the hearing, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., pressed Gay on whether calling for the genocide of Jews constitutes harassment on Harvard’s campus. Her responses have earned her widespread backlash, including calls for her resignation.