Harvard President Claudine Gay Will Testify Before Congress on Tuesday. Here's What You Need to Know.

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Harvard President Claudine Gay Will Testify Before Congress on Tuesday. Here’s What You Need to Know.

University President Claudine Gay’s congressional testimony on Tuesday about antisemitism on college and university campuses is expected to receive intense media attention and feature several made-for-TV moments as members of Congress grill Gay about tensions on campus.

BY MILES J. HERSZENHORN AND CLAIRE YUAN
11 hours ago

Over the years, Harvard presidents have regularly traveled to Washington to engage with political leaders with little to no attention from the media. ... Not this time. ... University President Claudine Gay’s congressional testimony on Tuesday about antisemitism on college and university campuses is expected to receive intense media attention and feature several made-for-TV moments as members of Congress grill Gay about tensions on campus.

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Harvard administrators have faced fierce criticism over the University’s initial response to the Israel-Hamas war and calls to do more to combat antisemitism on campus. ... After the University announced a series of efforts to tackle antisemitism at Harvard, including establishing an advisory group on antisemitism, senior administrators came under fire again — this time, for not doing enough to combat Islamophobia.

Gay — who will testify before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce alongside MIT President Sally A. Kornbluth and University of Pennsylvania President M. Elizabeth Magill — is expected to face tough questions from both sides of the aisle about Harvard’s response to Hamas’ attack on Israel and activism surrounding Israel and Palestine on campus.

The hearing will begin at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday and will be livestreamed on the committee’s YouTube page. ... Here is what you need to know ahead of Gay’s testimony:

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Gay, pictured at her inauguration, is expected to face tough questions from members of Congress — including Harvard graduates — during the hearing on Tuesday. By Addison Y. Liu

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—Staff writer Miles J. Herszenhorn can be reached at [e-mail]. Follow him on X @mherszenhorn or on Threads @mileshersz.

—Staff writer Claire Yuan can be reached at [e-mail]. Follow her on X @claireyuan33.