Harvard’s governing board on Monday was nearing a resolution that would allow its president, Claudine Gay, to remain in her job. The announcement of the resolution was expected the next day. The board has not commented on Dr. Gay’s future, which has been the subject of controversy ever since she responded evasively on the topic of antisemitism on campus during a recent congressional hearing. The unresolved issue has caused tension among alumni, students, and faculty both on and off campus.

The debate over Dr. Gay’s fate has generated public open letters supporting her and calling for her resignation. Amidst the debate, some prominent faculty, predominantly Black faculty members, launched a defense of Dr. Gay’s presidency.

William A. Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager and Harvard alumnus, was the most vocal critic, calling for her resignation. Other critics echoed this sentiment, while a letter expressing “no confidence” in Dr. Gay, signed by students, staff and alumni, urged her to resign or be relieved of her position.

The debate over Dr. Gay’s future has arisen in the context of broader discussions of academic freedom and free speech on college campuses, particularly in response to accusations of downplaying incidents of antisemitism in the wake of the recent Israel-Hamas conflict.

The university’s governing board met behind closed doors throughout the day, without any public information on the agenda or outcome. The university’s spokesperson declined to provide any comments.

Dr. Gay’s supporters hoped that she would avoid the fate of the president of the University of Pennsylvania, M. Elizabeth Magill, who resigned on Saturday under pressure for her remarks about antisemitism during the same congressional panel where Dr. Gay spoke.

The controversy began when Dr. Gay, Ms. Magill and the president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sally Kornbluth, avoided questions on how they would deal with students calling for the genocide of Jews. Congress has since opened an investigation into the three universities and Harvard has faced criticism for its initial response to the Hamas assault on Israel.

Dr. Gay has apologized for her remarks and has received support from students and faculty members; however, this has also been rejected by considerable segments of the faculty. In the midst of it all, the governing board is still deciding on her future at the university.