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Harvard President  today after only a six month tenure — the shortest in the university’s history. And while neither  nor the  mention it, the proximate cause certainly seems to be the  that Gay and Harvard have grappled with for months.

After Gay’s performance during the recent  and the resulting backlash, FIREwas concerned that obliging calls for Gay’s resignation — along with other university presidents — would be yet another blow to free speech on campus. Had Harvard caved then, it would have sent a message that censorship is the solution to the campus unrest following Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel.

Censorship on campus has been the norm for , and administrators will take any excuse to continue down that path — particularly if it means saving their jobs. In fact, then-University of Pennsylvania President  sought to stave off criticism of her performance during the House hearing by promising to “initiate a serious and careful look” at Penn’s protections for free speech, which she said had been “guided by the Constitution and the law.” Harvard, which scored dead last on FIRE’s 2024 Free Speech Rankings, could have followed the same path in making its policies even more speech-restrictive. 

Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

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Plagiarism, however, is a legitimate reason to remove a university leader from office, just as it’s a legitimate reason to punish students and faculty. And with nearly 50 allegations to her name, it’s no wonder this controversy ended with Gay’s resignation. FIREhas little to say on the matter beyond insisting that Gay receive due process, including an opportunity to plead her case, which by all , she has. In fact, Harvard went above and beyond in initially defending Gay, including by having its legal representatives send a  for its coverage of the matter — a move sadly in character for America's worst college for free speech, and an ominous omen that Harvard does not intend to improve its censorial ways.

Still, this is yet another opportunity for Harvard to turn things around under new leadership, and FIREis more than happy to help. 

Many of our advisors and directors have Harvard affiliations, including FIREco-founder Harvey Silverglate and Harvard President Emeritus Lawrence H. Summers. We have a vested interest in seeing the country’s most prestigious university become a leader for free speech and academic freedom. For instance, we sent a letter to Claudine Gay early in her tenure as president, hoping to collaborate on establishing a robust campus climate for free speech and open inquiry. Our offer remains for Harvard’s future leadership: It’s never too late to commit to a culture of free speech on campus, and to change Harvard’s policies to reflect that commitment. 

There are plenty of ways to do it.

As Harvard looks to its future, it should consider its past. Without a substantial university-wide change to its approach to free speech and academic freedom on campus, Harvard’s next president will struggle to restore the university’s reputation as a leader in academic excellence.

Last month FIREreleased 10 common-sense reforms colleges and universities can make to re-establish their institutions as communities devoted to the discovery, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge. These include protecting free speech in policy and practice, teaching students a scholarly mindset from day one, and cutting administrative bloat. At Harvard, there are  for every one student. Massive administrative bureaucracies are huge drivers of campus censorship.

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FIRE Advisory Council member and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard Steven Pinker has also proposed an excellent  that shares many similarities with ��֭����’s suggested reforms. Pinker recommends that Harvard commit to free speech, institutional neutrality, nonviolence, viewpoint diversity, and disempowering DEI.

Additionally, a group of academics at the University of Pennsylvania (which, by the way, is second only to Harvard at the bottom of FIRE’s Free Speech Rankings)  for their institution, emphasizing similar principles to ��֭����’s and Pinker’s plans.

If Harvard is looking for a template, they needn’t look far.

As Harvard looks to its future, it should consider its past. Without a substantial university-wide change to its approach to free speech and academic freedom on campus, Harvard’s next president will struggle to restore the university’s reputation as a leader in academic excellence.

Here’s to hoping Harvard and its next leader make the right decisions moving forward.