Celebratory posts flooded social media following news of Harvard President Claudine Gay's resignation.
Gay announced her resignation "with a heavy heart" on Tuesday afternoon in a letter posted to Harvard's website. "This is not a decision I came to easily," she said.
"But, after consultation with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual," Gay wrote.
Calls for Gay's resignation came after the university faced criticism for its response to the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. In the wake of the attack, U.S. universities, including Harvard, witnessed a wave of protests, provoking strong reactions from each side.
Gay faced fierce backlash after a coalition of student groups at Harvard released a letter on October 8 blaming Israel for Hamas' attack the day prior. Harvard didn't respond to the letter until three days later.
Gay also has been hit with a slew of plagiarism charges, prompting investigations.
The news of Gay's resignation sparked a flood of celebratory social media posts on Tuesday afternoon.
"Good riddance. Hamas University still has a long way to go to undo their systemic problems with antisemitism," political commentator Meghan McCain said on X, formerly Twitter.
"Harvard finally got disgraced President Gay to agree to resign..." one X user posted.
"Goodbye ex-Harvard President, Claudine Gay, and good riddance," another person wrote.
"Amid storm of antisemitism on campuses: Harvard President Claudine Gay announced her resignation. OMFG is it Purim today?! The universe just keeps on giving!" an X user said.
"Claudine Gay finally resigned. Good. Any artist who supported this plagiarizing scum should be forever shamed," another person wrote.
However, others argued that the plagiarism accusations were a "cheap smear campaign."
"Every article from every University President must now be reviewed to hold them ALL to that same standard," one X user posted.
Gay will resume her faculty position at Harvard following her resignation, The Fellows of Harvard College wrote in a letter following the resignation announcement. It is unclear who will replace Gay, but provost and Chief Academic Officer Alan Garber will serve as interim president.
"While President Gay has acknowledged missteps and has taken responsibility for them, it is also true that she has shown remarkable resilience in the face of deeply personal and sustained attacks," the statement said.
At only a little more than six months, Gay's presidential tenure is the shortest in Harvard's history.
A Harvard spokesperson told Newsweek that the university has no further comment past the fellows' statement.
Update 1/2/24, 2:26 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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