During his "My Take" Wednesday, "Varney & Co." host Stuart Varney discussed what the resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay means for the Biden administration's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) movement and identity politics going forward.
: What is a university all about?
Surely it's the search for truth, the exchange of ideas, and the pursuit of excellence.
A university should be an academic meritocracy, compete to be the best in your field.
Harvard banners hang outside Memorial Church on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Getty Images)
Sadly, that's not what universities are all about in America today.
The mess at Harvard is the most prominent example.
Claudine Gay became president after the shortest search period in Harvard's history.
She had never written a book. She had published only 11 articles in 26 years.
But she's female, Black, and a supporter of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
That's what Harvard wanted, not an academic meritocracy.
No, a race, gender, and sexuality-based intellectual straight-jacket.
DEI determines who gets into a college, who teaches, and what they teach.
All backed up by progressive students and faculty who have no time for any opinion other than theirs.
Claudine Gay's appointment as president of Harvard just six months ago, marked the high point of progressive control.
She had reached the pinnacle. Her resignation marks a turning point, not just for DEI, but for identity politics too.
It failed at Harvard, and it failed in the Biden administration.
One last point. The writing was on the wall before Claudine Gay came along.
In 2006, the eminent economist Larry Summers was Harvard's president. He ran right into the progressive mob.
He made the mistake of suggesting that women might lack an intrinsic aptitude for math and science.
Free speech does not extend to that. Soon after, he was forced to resign.