Highlights from Claudine Gay’s rainy Harvard inauguration
CAMBRIDGE — Claudine Gay was formally inaugurated Friday as Harvard University’s 30th president — the University’s first Black president and second woman — in Harvard Yard, replacing Larry Bacow.
Harvard Yard, an area of campus, was decked out with various tents, tables and chairs, food trucks, and thousands of people — all to honor Gay, the daughter of Haitian immigrants.
Despite inclement weather, crowds of spectators, students, and educators — past and present — stuck it out in the rain, crowded under umbrellas and wearing ponchos.
Gay, 53, has been acting president since July, when Bacow stepped down from the position after five years.
She began teaching at Harvard in 2006 as a professor of government and became a professor of African and African American Studies in 2007. She served as dean of the school’s faculty of arts and sciences from 2015 to 2018 and was appointed to be president last December.
Gay attended Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University, and completed a PhD in government from Harvard University.
Here are five highlights from Gay’s inauguration:
‘America the Beautiful’ on saxophone
Yosvany Terry, director of jazz ensembles and senior lecturer in music at Harvard University, performed “America the Beautiful” on the saxophone. Terry’s jazzy version of the patriotic anthem showcased the confluence of Cuban roots music and jazz that inspired his music.
As Terry performed, the crowd silenced and the only other sounds were of raindrops ricocheting off umbrellas.
Terry’s anthem was awarded with a standing ovation. Several spectators said, “Wow, that was beautiful,” as they rose to applaud the performance.
The gift of dance
Madelyn Ho, dancer at the Paul Taylor Dance Company, performed “Syzygy” as a gift from the Harvard Alumni Association, on the puddle-ridden stage.
Despite the rain, Ho did not miss a beat and her performance appeared to transcend the inclement weather. Faculty seated behind Ho on the stage grinned ear-to-ear as she completed her performance seamlessly.
Greetings from Ty Moore
Ty Moore, president of Harvard Alumni Association for the 2023-24 academic year, delivered a greeting speech to Gay that was engaging and laughter-provoking. Shortly before Moore approached the podium, the sky opened up and heavy rain began to pour over Harvard Yard.
Acknowledging the inclement weather, Moore opened his speech and said, “Let’s give it up for you all, the fact that you’re still here, phenomenal,” cuing laughter across the audience.
Echoing other speakers like Governor Maura Healey and Elizabeth Solomon, director of administration at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Moore praised Gay for her commitment to community.
“Suffice it to say, our alumni think you are the epiphany of community,” Moore said, garnering applause from the crowd. “President Gay, you eat, sleep, and breathe community.”
Moore then led spectators in what he jokingly called a “community-building exercise” asking Harvard alumni in the crowd to put their right hands on the people sitting to their right.
“Our alumni warmly embrace you, President Gay,” Moore said. “Remember this visual of our community pouring our hearts into you despite the rain.”
Singing in the rain
Members of Harvard’s student-run a cappella group, The Harvard Opportunes, clad in tuxedos, black velvet dresses, and hot pink earrings, performed “Change in My Life” for Gay.
The group crowded in a half circle with their lead performer in the center and harmonized the Rockapella song. Their performance concluded with a group hug which crowd members received fondly.
Gay’s address
The speaking portion of the inauguration ended with Gay speaking about courage, the importance of asking questions, and the importance of higher education
She began by acknowledging four enslaved people who lived in Harvard’s Wadsworth House in the 1700s, just blocks away from Harvard Yard.
“Because of those people who walked long distances for centuries, I am now able to say, ‘I am Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University,’” she said. “And that is because of their courage.”
Gay then spoke about the importance of asking “why” in the context of higher education, stating that the “simple query” of asking “why” is the basis of academic life.
“You shouldn’t need courage to ask why ... but why pokes at things ... to persist with why is to give up the satisfaction of silence,” Gay said.
At the end of her speech, she asked the crowd to “endure the challenge of truth seeking and truth telling.”