The Claudine Gay scandal is intertwined with so many hot-button issues that it's hard to grasp it straight away: The president of Harvard University announced her resignation on January 2 as a result of pressures stemming from two controversies. On the one hand, she was facing accusations of plagiarism; On the other, she had failed to condemn calls for the genocide of Jews during an appearance before Congress in December.

But she also personified many changes at the American university that have now been called into question. Her appointment in December 2022 was a further demonstration of the growing role played by university administrations. Over the past 20 years, the number of higher education staff has grown to the point where Harvard now counts 7,708 employees working in its administration versus 2,452 employed as professors (a situation happening at most American universities, both public and private).

Various explanations have been put forward to account for this phenomenon. But it's the organizational framework of DEI − an acronym denoting "diversity, equity, inclusion" − that has raised the most questions. Introduced in recent years, the program has, to a certain extent, been carrying forth the legacy of positive discrimination by attempting to implement the commendable goal of integrating minority students and professors. This effort does not, however, offer a sufficient explanation for the increase in administrative staff. At Harvard, some 50 people are said to be employed in the DEI field alone, and many more employees play some role in its policies.

In the eyes of her critics, Gay has come to embody this new bureaucracy. The political science professor decided to change course in 2015 and join the ranks of administration, thereby becoming dean of social sciences in the Department of Arts and Sciences, and then, in 2018, dean of that department. In both positions, she made DIE's goals her priority.

When controversy erupted in the fall of 2023, this approach undermined her position, as these policies were now starting to come under fire. They'd become associated with a reorientation of the university toward ends other than the pursuit of knowledge, without actually achieving their set objectives.

The University of Michigan has provided a harsh illustration of the dilemma. It has made significant efforts in this area, empowering 163 employees with DEI-related responsibilities. Even so, Black students, the main target audience, have not enjoyed greater representation on campus: Their attendance numbers haven't exceeded 3.9%, even though the Black community represents 14% of the state's population.

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