Letter to the Harvard Corporation re Harvard president

I wrote this letter earlier today to the Harvard Corporation. I did not intend to make it public but was asked by some people to do so. I figured there is no harm in that. Many people that I respect are deeply disappointed at Harvard in particular and U.S. Universities at large, and are calling for the resignation of our president. I hope this letter explains why I do not share this view. See also my previous tweet. This is not because I think Harvard has no issues with anti-semitism, nor because I think it is a bastion of freedom of speech. I have been critical of Harvard’s administration before. I also do not approve of the “lawyerly” answers that the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and UPenn gave in Congress to what should have been an obvious question.

Reasonable people can disagree with me on what follows. As far as I remember, I have met President Gay only once and talked with her for less than a minute. I have no special “inside knowledge.” The following is my opinion, based on what I know as a member of this community, as to what is best for this University at this point in time.

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Dear members of the Harvard Corporation,

I am a professor of Computer Science at SEAS and an Israeli-American. Over the last two months, I led efforts to make the campus safer for Jewish and Israeli students and promote understanding. These included leading an open letter and hosting a delegation of families and friends of the hostages to Harvard and the Boston area.  

As America’s oldest and most prominent university, Harvard can be both a beacon of light and a lightning rod. Unfortunately, lately, we have been serving the latter role. This is partly due to our prominence and partly to our own failings. Harvard got the worst ranking in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) report for 2023. We have also had long-standing issues of anti-semitism on our campus, exacerbated since October 7th.

Three months into her tenure, President Gay was thrust into one of the most challenging situations in our University’s history. I have criticized her administration several times, but we should also acknowledge the positive aspects. The administration has been moving in the right direction, even though it is yet unclear if its efforts will succeed. Harvard has not seen some of the levels of disruptions and violence that have occurred in other institutions. 

The American people’s confidence in higher education has been falling. They do not trust that we protect all speech, regardless of political valence, nor do they trust that we protect all groups. Against this backdrop, the words of university presidents claiming a commitment to free speech as a reason to avoid disciplining anti-semitic speech rang hollow.

And yet, university presidents are judged first and foremost on campus and not in Congress. President Gay faces significant challenges, rising from deep-seated issues that far precede her tenure. She should be given the opportunity to address these. I have faith that Harvard can be a beacon of light. We can show it is possible to offer robust protections for freedom of speech without allowing a “heckler’s veto” or bullying. We can show that our commitment to both freedom and inclusion is not ideological and does not discriminate between liberals and conservatives, nor between different groups. 

I do not think the right move at this point is to call for President Gay’s resignation. Instead, I hope the corporation offers the president the support and the chance to address the significant challenges ahead and show to this campus and society at large that we can live up to our motto of “veritas.”

Best,

Boaz Barak

Director of Undergraduate Studies, Computer Science Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science,  Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences