Dr Cornel West quits Harvard, calls out 'decline, decay' and 'spiritual rot' at university

Harvard professor Dr Cornel West, who has quit the prestigious university, on July 13 called out the “decline and decay” and the “spiritual rot” on campus. The 67-year-old professor of African-American studies in a “candid letter of resignation” said that he was resigning with “precious memories but absolutely no regrets”. West highlighted serious concerns hinting at discrimination at the Ivy League institution and also called the university “market-driven”. 

While sharing his resignation on Twitter, West gave details, raising doubts over Harvard’s conduct. “The disarray of a scattered curriculum, the disenchantment of talented yet deferential faculty, and the disorientation of previous students loom large,” the 67-year-old said. He further accused the University of disrespectful treatment, alleging all his courses were subsumed under Afro-American Religious Studies and his salary was given the “lowest increase possible” every year. 

“And to witness a faculty enthusiastically support a candidate for tenure then timidly defer to a rejection based on the Harvard administration's hostility to the Palestinian cause was disgusting”, West wrote in the letter.

Moreover, he also said that when his committee recommended a tenure review it was rejected by Harvard. He also went on to accuse the administration of showing indifference to the death of his mother, alleging that this kind of “narcissistic academic professionalism” constitutes an intellectual bankruptcy of deep deaths. “In my case, a serious commitment to Veritas requires resignation - with precious memories but absolutely no regrets,” West concluded in his letter. 

Netizens support West's decision  

Meanwhile, West’s post has received huge support from his followers and other social media users. While some praised his “courage, wisdom and integrity,” others regretted that the situation turned so bad that he had quit. One user said, “As an alum of Harvard, I can tell you this institution doesn't deserve you. The careerist, pro-corporate decline of the university is complete, and you are absolutely right to walk away”. Another added, “I'm starting to think Harvard is not the grand palace of higher education that we've been led to believe over the decades”.

(Image: Twitter)