California Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley stated Tuesday the resignation of former Harvard President Claudine Gay signaled a “moment of reckoning for higher education,” pointing out how bad “things have gotten” on the campus.
Kiley appeared on “The Bottom Line with Dagen & Duffy” to discuss Gay’s recent step down from the elite university following pressures to be removed in early December. Fox Business guest host Charles Hurt asked the California representative what “more” he hopes to see following the recent news.
Kiley, who is also a Harvard alumni, praised the move, stating universities “deliver too little value” nowadays. Kiley highlighted how they have become “the most intolerant places in American life.” (RELATED: Claudine Gay Resigns From Harvard)
“Well, I think this is a moment of reckoning for higher education in this country. I mean, the fact is that our universities cost too much, they deliver too little value for graduates and they have become the most intolerant places in American life. And it’s something that’s having consequences for our whole country,” Kiley stated.
“A lot of the things that started at universities, like suppressing free speech or even the issue of anti semitism itself, have, you know, escaped the confines of university life and impacted our broader culture.”
The California representative mentioned “how badly” universities like Harvard have “lost their way,” noting his recent speech on the House floor in which he called for more freedoms on campus. (RELATED: CNN Reporter Blames ‘Sloppy Attribution’ For President Gay’s Resignation)
“And so I think that you know … that was crystallized in that congressional hearing just how badly our universities have lost their way when they used to be leading lights in American life. And so, you know, I gave a speech on the floor of the house a few weeks ago talking about the principles that we need American universities to recommit themselves to,” Kiley stated.
“Freedom of speech, you know, institutional neutrality, academic freedom, moving away from this corrupted DEI paradigm and so many of the other things that have caused our universities to no longer be the sort of centers of intellectual life and progress that they’re supposed to be but instead, in many cases, now becoming the most backward places in the country.”
“And you know, what happened to Harvard … and Penn and other universities in the last couple months just goes to show you how badly things have gotten there, when one of the world’s most ancient and retrograde prejudices has resurged in such a troubling way,” Kiley stated.
Gay announced her resignation Tuesday from Harvard University, stating “with a heavy heart” she believed it would be in the “best interest” of the school. The former university president faced major backlash in December for her responses to questions regarding students “advocating for the murder of Jews” during a congressional hearing with two other top university leaders.
Gay additionally received heat for plagiarism allegations following her congressional testimony. There have reportedly been six new charges against her, adding to the nearly 50 plagiarism allegations.