Harvard University President Alan Garber has issued a formal apology after the release of two internal reports detailing widespread concerns about antisemitic and anti-Muslim bias on campus, particularly in the wake of last year’s pro-Palestinian protests over the Israel-Gaza war.
According to a report by BBC, the reports, commissioned in response to tensions that erupted after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military actions in Gaza, include accounts from students who said they felt marginalised, targeted, or compelled to hide their identities from peers and professors.
“I’m sorry for the moments when we failed to meet the high expectations we rightfully set for our community,” Garber said in a letter accompanying the reports on Tuesday. He acknowledged that the conflict in the Middle East had “unleashed long-simmering tensions” at Harvard, and that some students had been “targeted and shunned” because of their identities.
“Harvard cannot — and will not — abide bigotry,” he added, BBC reported.
In response to the findings, the university pledged to take a number of steps, including a review of academic offerings and admissions policies. One focus will be ensuring that applicants are assessed on their capacity to engage in constructive dialogue, show empathy, and participate in civil discourse — criteria intended to uphold campus inclusivity.
However, the steps outlined in the reports appear to fall short of demands from the White House, which has accused Harvard of failing to adequately address antisemitism. The White House has pushed for Harvard to eliminate any admissions preferences based on “race, color, national origin, or proxies thereof” and to implement merit-based criteria by August.
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The Trump administration has also threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status and bar it from admitting international students unless it complies.
Harvard has filed a lawsuit against the federal government, aiming to halt what it describes as unconstitutional overreach. The university argues that the freeze of over $2 billion in academic grants is being used as “leverage to gain control of academic decision-making.”
Garber, who is Jewish, revealed last month that he has personally experienced antisemitism, even during his tenure as university president. Though he offered no specifics, he said the experience has deepened his understanding of the harm such prejudice can cause.
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