In a move that is part of a wave of challenges to universities across the country over hate speech fueled by the Israel-Hamas conflict, more than 1,600 Harvard University alumni have said they would withhold payments to the university unless Harvard takes immediate action to combat it. antisemitism on campus
Not only have prominent former billionaires like Bill Ackman, the founder of Pershing Square, and Leslie Wexner, the former CEO of Victoria’s Secret, warned that Harvard could lose its donor base if it doesn’t address the problem, but now the number bigger. of alumni, most of whom are not billionaires, threaten to stop giving.
“We never thought that we, at Harvard University, should argue that terrorism against civilians demands immediate and unequivocal condemnation,” wrote members of the Jewish Alumni Association of Harvard University ( HCJAA) in an open letter to President Claudine Gay and Dean. of Harvard College Rakesh Khurana. “We never thought we had to defend the recognition of our own humanity.”
Following the school’s reaction to the October 7 attacks in Israel, the HCJAA was established last month. It is the first Jewish alumni group to exist at the university, according to organizers.
The organization is calling for Harvard to formally accept the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism, provide specific measures to ensure the safety of Jewish students on campus, and recognize its alumni association as a recognized special interest group.
“We now have a movement of more than 1,600 alumni calling for significant campus reforms to ensure all students are safe.” Rebecca Claire Brooks, co-founder of the HCJAA, told CNN.
“This is a broad and growing intergenerational movement of alumni from many different sectors and industries. Yes, some of them are very influential donors and some of them are kind of more normal-sized donors. But we’re talking to a unified voice in response to this moment,” he added.
Harvard President Gay wrote a letter to the Harvard community on Thursday addressing the controversy.
“Harvard rejects all forms of hate, and we are committed to addressing it,” he wrote. “Let me reiterate what I and other Harvard leaders have said previously: Anti-Semitism has no place at Harvard.”
The school, he said, has “begun the process of examining how anti-Semitism manifests itself in our community” and “will implement a robust program of education and training for students, faculty and staff about anti-Semitism in general and at Harvard specifically.” The school is also “looking to identify external partnerships that will allow Harvard to learn and work with others on our strategy,” he added.
At Harvard, philanthropy is the biggest source of money, contributing 45% of the university’s $5.8 billion in revenue the previous year. Nine percent of the university’s operating budget and 36 percent of its $51 billion endowment, which has accumulated over decades, came from philanthropic contributions last year.
According to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), modest contributions from alumni are becoming a more important source of support for higher education, although major gifts make up a significant portion of university giving . In 2022, institutions received gifts totaling less than $5,000 in about 95% of cases.
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