Historic First: Harvard Appoints First Person Of Color As President

Harvard University's new president shattered a glass ceiling when she became the first person of color to be selected for the role.

Claudine Gay will be Harvard's 30th president and the first person of color to be its president.
Photo Credit: *Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer*

Morgan Gonzales

12/15/2022 2:56 p.m.

Harvard announced on Thursday, Dec. 15, that Claudine Gay, the dean of the faculty of arts and science since 2018, will serve as the university's 30th president.

She replaces Lawrence S. Bacow in the position after a six-month search conducted by the university's Board of Overseers.

Gay joined Harvard's faculty in 2006 as a professor of government and was appointed as a professor of African and African American Studies in 2007, according to Harvard's website.

She is described as a leading scholar of political behavior who focuses her courses on American racial and ethnic politics and democratic citizenship, among other topics.

“As I start my tenure, there’s so much more for me to discover about this institution that I love, and I’m looking forward to doing just that, with our whole community," Gay said in a news release.

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