Harvard University appoints Claudine Gay as first black president

Harvard University appoints Claudine Gay as first black president: Harvard University has appointed Claudine Gay, a social scientist and faculty dean, as its next president, making her the first Black person and second woman to lead the prestigious academic institution.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Ivy League school announced on Thursday that the Harvard Corporation, the university’s main governing board, elected Gay to serve as its 30th president starting on July 1.

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She will replace Lawrence Bacow, who will retire on July 2023. She will also be the second woman to head the elite college in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Notably, she is the daughter of Haitian immigrants and received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in 1992.

“She is a terrific academic leader with a keen mind, great leadership and communication skills, excellent judgment, and a basic decency and kindness that will serve Harvard well,” Bacow said in a statement. “Perhaps most importantly, she commands the respect of all who know her and have worked with her.”