Harvard President Claudine Gay announced her resignation on Tuesday, following a tumultuous start to her tenure marred by her testimony on campus antisemitism and allegations of plagiarism.

Pressure had been mounting on Gay to step down, not only from Harvard’s Jewish community but also from some members of Congress, all stemming from her remarks during a December 5th congressional hearing. Additionally, she had been facing multiple accusations of plagiarism related to her academic work in recent months.

In a letter addressed to the Harvard community, Gay described her decision to resign as “incredibly challenging.”

“After extensive discussions with members of the Corporation, it has become evident that the best course of action for Harvard is for me to step aside, allowing our institution to address the extraordinary challenges at hand, focusing on the collective rather than the individual.”

The Harvard Corporation, the university’s governing body consisting of 11 members, conveyed their acceptance of Gay’s resignation with a heavy heart in an email sent to the community.

Gay, alongside former University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, testified before a U.S. House of Representatives committee on December 5th regarding the rise of antisemitism on college campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October.

During the hearing, the trio opted not to provide a definitive “yes” or “no” response to Republican Representative Elise Stefanik’s inquiry about whether advocating for the genocide of Jews would breach their schools’ conduct codes regarding bullying and harassment. They cited the need to balance it against the protection of free speech.

Over 70 U.S. lawmakers signed a letter demanding the removal of the three university presidents from their positions, expressing dissatisfaction with their testimonies.

Following the backlash she received for her comments, Magill also tendered her resignation.

Representative Stefanik asserted, “Harvard recognizes that this long overdue resignation of the president, who has been accused of antisemitism and plagiarism, is just the beginning of what may become the most significant scandal in the history of any college or university.”

Despite the controversies surrounding Gay, the Harvard Corporation recently reaffirmed its confidence in her ability to lead the institution during a period of heightened tension amid the Middle East conflict. They also revealed that an independent review of Gay’s academic work found no evidence of research misconduct. In recent weeks, she has submitted numerous corrections for citation errors.

Gay, who became the first Black president of the university just six months ago, revealed in her statement, “It has been deeply distressing to see doubts cast upon my commitment to combating hatred and upholding academic rigor two foundational principles that define my character. It has also been unsettling to endure personal attacks and threats driven by racial animosity.”

In their letters to the community, both Gay and the members of the Harvard Corporation acknowledged the racist attacks she had been subjected to, which included offensive emails and phone calls.

Some of Gay’s critics, including billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, have argued that her selection for the role was primarily aimed at promoting diversity rather than evaluating her qualifications.

Ackman was unavailable for immediate comment on Tuesday but did share the Harvard Crimson’s report on Gay’s resignation via the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).