Higher Education

Billionaire hedge fund manager and Harvard alum reacts to President Claudine Gay's resignation

Author: Editors Desk Source: Fox Business

January 2, 2024 at 20:28

Fox News contributor Joe Concha joins Varney & Co. to discuss a recent Washington Post op-ed calling for Harvard President Claudine Gay to resign and a New York Times op-ed by Gaza Citys mayor.

Bill Ackman, who led calls for the Harvard leader's ouster, issues three-word response to her stepping down

Billionaire Harvard graduate Bill Ackman wasted no time in issuing a public reaction to Harvard President Claudine Gay tendering her resignation on Tuesday, delivering a three-word response to the news that indicates he will not let up on another target in his sights.

Ackman has led calls for Gay, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, and MIT President Sally Kornbluth to "resign in disgrace" ever since their disastrous appearances at a House committee hearing on the rise of antisemitism on college campuses last month, when all three refused to say that calling for the genocide of Jews on their respective campuses breached their rules and amounted to harassment.

Magill resigned days after her testimony. Now with Gay out, Ackman signaled it is time for the only one of the three presidents remaining in leadership at the premiere educational institutions to step down: MIT's Sally Kornbluth.

Ackman tweeted Tuesday, "Et tu Sally?"

Et tu Sally?
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) January 2, 2024

"Et tu" means "Also you," in Latin. Ackman's post is a nod to the famous quote from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" play, when Caesar reacts to being stabbed by a group of assassins that includes his good friend, Brutus, by saying, "Et tu, Brute?" before dying.

Ackman wasn't alone in his sentiment.

A collage of Dr. Claudine Gay of Harvard, Liz Magill of UPenn, billionaire Bill Ackman, and Dr. Sally Kornbluth. — From left, Claudine Gay of Harvard, Liz Magill of Penn, billionaire Bill Ackman and Sally Kornbluth of MIT ( / Getty Images)

Fellow Harvard alum Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., whose line of questioning at the House hearing exposed the schools' policies toward handling antisemitism, also took to X following Gay's resignation and posted, "TWO DOWN."

🚨🚨🚨

TWO DOWN. @Harvard knows that this long overdue forced resignation of the antisemitic plagiarist president is just the beginning of what will be the greatest scandal of any college or university in history.https://t.co/ZJLxrHw1Zd
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) January 2, 2024

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy issued a similar reaction, posting, "See ya Claudine Gay. 2 down. MIT on the clock."

An MIT spokesperson told FOX Business the school has no comment on Ackman and others re-upping calls for Kornbluth to resign, saying, "Our leadership remains focused on ensuring the work of MIT continues."

In Kornbluth's opening statement during her House testimony on Dec. 5, she said, "As an American, as a Jew, and as a human being, I abhor antisemitism, and my administration is combatting it actively. Since October 7th, my campus communications have been crystal clear about the dangers of antisemitism and about the atrocity of the Hamas terror attack."

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

MIT Corporation Chair Mark Gorenberg issued a letter two days later saying the governing body's executive committee members "entirely support" Kornbluth.