In part one of this collaboration with WNYC’s On The Media, Claudine Gay’s history-making inauguration as Harvard’s first Black president in September 2023 is seen by many as an inspirational moment for the university. But by December 2023, that hope sours as her presidency becomes a proxy battleground for American culture wars After war breaks out in the Middle East, Gay struggles to navigate bitter campus protests over war, anti-semitism, free speech, and the proper role of the university. The tensions are on full display when Gay testifies under oath, providing legalistic answers to outraged members of Congress. Claudine Gay’s short tenure as Harvard’s 30th president, a job she started two days after the Supreme Court struck down Harvard’s program of race-based affirmative action, is seen by some as a symbol of what’s wrong with diversity efforts. It’s also a warning to all colleges and universities, who face a hostile incoming administration which has pledged to use its power to bring them into line. This series slows down the whipsaw chain of events to bring listeners direct eyewitness accounts of what happened, from professors, wealthy donors, and spiritual leaders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Harvard Plan Pt. 1: A President on Trial

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In part one of this collaboration with WNYC’s On The Media, Claudine Gay’s history-making inauguration as Harvard’s first Black president in September 2023 is seen by many as an inspirational moment for the university.   But by December 2023, that hope sours as her presidency becomes a proxy battleground for American culture wars   After war breaks out in the Middle East, Gay struggles to navigate  bitter campus  protests over war, anti-semitism, free speech, and the proper role of the university. The tensions are on full display when Gay testifies under oath, providing legalistic answers to outraged members of Congress.   Claudine Gay’s short tenure as Harvard’s 30th president, a job she started two days  after the Supreme Court struck down Harvard’s program of race-based affirmative action, is seen by some as a symbol of what’s wrong with diversity efforts.   It’s also a warning to all colleges and universities, who face a hostile incoming administration which has pledged to use its power to bring them into line.  This series slows down the whipsaw chain of events to bring listeners direct eyewitness accounts of what happened, from professors, wealthy donors, and spiritual leaders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Harvard Plan is about the fight for the soul of America’s oldest and most prestigious university. Hosted by award-winning reporter Ilya Marritz, the podcast is a co-production of The Boston Globe and WNYC’s On The Media. Season One explores the chaos at Harvard University in 2024, with the rise and fall of its first Black president, Claudine Gay. Season Two  reveals the broken friendships and knotty moral quandaries caused by the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on higher education.

The Harvard Plan

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