Donor Halts Harvard Donations Amidst Controversy

Billionaire Len Blavatnik has decided to stop making donations to Harvard University, following President Claudine Gay's controversial testimony before Congress. According to a source familiar with the matter, Blavatnik's family foundation has suspended its contributions until the university takes action to address the issue of antisemitism on campus.

The billionaire Harvard Business School graduate, valued at $32 billion by Forbes, has a track record of generous donations to the Ivy League university and support for Jewish causes. The Blavatnik family foundation has contributed at least $270 million to Harvard, according to the source. Originally from Ukraine and raised in Russia, Blavatnik accumulated his wealth through investments in Russian oil companies, as reported by Forbes.

Reports of Blavatnik's choice to temporarily halt donations to Harvard were initially disclosed by Bloomberg. Harvard has not responded to the reports, and Blavatnik's foundation has also declined to comment.

Harvard and other universities have faced criticism from donors in response to their handling of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Following the attacks, over 1,600 Harvard alumni pledged to withhold donations until stronger action was taken to combat antisemitism on campus. The backlash intensified after Gay and the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and MIT were unable to provide clear answers about whether calls for the genocide of Jews violate university rules during a recent hearing with lawmakers. As a result, Gay issued an apology for her testimony amid calls for her resignation.

Blavatnik's decision is a major setback for Harvard, as he had previously pledged to donate a record-breaking $200 million to Harvard Medical School in 2018.

Having been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017, Blavatnik has a track record of making generous contributions to universities and political figures. He is reported to have donated to both Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign and the Trump inaugural committee.

Harvard is facing increased scrutiny over its handling of antisemitism while also dealing with allegations of plagiarism against Gay. Harvard announced on Thursday that Gay will make corrections to her 1997 PhD dissertation to address issues with citation. Additionally, it was reported last week that early applications to Harvard have dropped by 17% to their lowest level in four years.

Gay holds a Zoom with faculty

Prior to revealing her intention to make revisions to her thesis, Gay conducted a digital town hall meeting with a large group of faculty members on Tuesday, as confirmed by a source familiar with the situation to CNN.

During the Zoom town hall with members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the issue of plagiarism surrounding Gay was not addressed, as reported by the source. Approximately twelve Harvard faculty members expressed their support during the event.

Wednesday evening, Harvard announced in a statement to The Harvard Crimson that Gay intends to make further revisions to her writing because of "inadequate citation," sparking more discussion about plagiarism and Harvard's response to the situation.

A Harvard spokesperson chose not to comment. The New York Times previously reported on Gay's Zoom town hall with faculty.