In light of the threatened departure of Professor Cornel R. West â74 from Harvard, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay said during a faculty meeting Tuesday that Harvard is âunequivocallyâ committed to supporting an environment in which faculty of color can thrive.
West â a Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at the Harvard Divinity School and of African and African American Studies in the FAS â threatened in late February to leave Harvard for the second time after he said the University denied his request for consideration of tenure.
In subsequent media coverage, West claimed that the University cited that his work was âtoo riskyâ and âtoo fraughtâ while reviewing his tenure request. Student organizers who had rallied in support of Westâs tenure have argued that the decision not to consider him for tenure speaks to broader challenges that faculty of color face at Harvard.