Harvard Interim President: Campus 'Tension' Incomparable

The interim president of Harvard University said on Monday that the "tension" on campus is higher than he's ever seen it in the five decades since he first arrived as an undergraduate.

Harvard interim President Alan Garber, formerly the school's provost, took over as interim president after former President Claudine Gay resigned amidst plagiarism allegations and her controversial appearance before Congress.

"We have been through an extraordinarily painful and disorienting time for Harvard. Since I first arrived here as an undergraduate in 1973, I cannot recall a period of comparable tension on our campus and across our community," Garber said in a statement to the university community on Monday.

"That tension has been exacerbated by concerns about how we address and combat antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bias; safeguard free expression; and foster a climate of mutual understanding," he continued.

Garber said that Gay leaving "added a deep sense of loss" to the campus, noting that he had "great hopes for her presidency."

He went on to say that those in the Harvard community should use the new year in order to "bridge the fissures that have weakened our sense of community," and recommended that the students and faculty adopt "a willingness to approach each other in a spirit of goodwill, with an eagerness to listen as well as to speak, and with an appreciation of our common humanity when we encounter passionately held but opposing convictions."

Garber concluded, "Our task is difficult yet essential, and we have much work ahead of us. Although I regret the circumstances that have me writing to you as your interim president, please know that I will serve with a dedication to the Harvard I know and cherish."

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