Harvard academic says school needs to stop subscribing to 'the extreme left of the political map'

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb recently offered two suggestions for how Harvard can restore its prestige.

Adam Glanzman for The Washington Post via Getty Images

• Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb weighed in on discussions over the path forward for the university.
• He says the school should work to weaken societal polarization among students. 
• Loeb's advice comes after Claudine Gay resigned as president of the university on Tuesday.

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has a few ideas on how Harvard should move forward following Claudine Gay's resignation as president. One of those: Stop subscribing to "the extreme left of the political map."

"Harvard should aim to heal societal polarization rather than enhance it," he told Business Insider. The past few weeks' turmoil has put the Harvard brand's prestige "at risk and it could take many years to restore it."

Loeb's comment to BI came after he wrote a Medium post on Tuesday following Gay's resignation. In that, he recommended two paths forward for the Ivy League school:

"First, Harvard should strive to maintain scholarly excellence of faculty and students rather than compromise some of it on the altar of a political agenda," Loeb said in the post. "Second, Harvard should aim to represent the multitude of views that characterize American society." These two suggestions are of "utmost relevance" to help restore Harvard's prestige.

Gay's resignation came after weeks of scrutiny over her handling of antisemitism concerns on campus. Loeb's comments add to a broader debate about cancel culture and free speech on college campuses. 

University presidents often walk a tight line between their internal role in fostering an institution's academic culture and their external role as its public face and key fundraiser. At major research institutions like Harvard, external roles can take up a large percentage of a president's time.

At Harvard, at least, Loeb believes the intellectual culture has veered too far to the left of the political spectrum, making it harder for the president to carry out key functions like raising funds and maintaining "good relations" with Washington, D.C., Loeb wrote. 

Loeb — who's earned a name as the "'alien hunter' of Harvard" — heads The Galileo Project, an initiative that searches for physical evidence of alien technologies and civilizations. He's also served as a member of the US President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and is the former chair of the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies.

He was one of over 700 faculty members who signed a letter to the Harvard Corporation supporting Gay in December.

 "There were no winners as a result of this unfortunate turmoil," he told BI. "Everyone lost. Harvard clearly lost its prestige and that is a loss for alums."

Harvard has appointed its provost and chief academic officer, Alan Garber, to serve as its interim president while the search for a new leader is underway. Harvard did not immediately respond to BI's requests for comment.

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