- Billionaire Ken Griffin, a major donor to Harvard University, announces he will no longer give money to the school, criticizing its deviation from its original purpose of educating American children.
- Griffin’s remarks come in the midst of increased scrutiny of college campuses regarding their handling of antisemitism, with Harvard’s President Claudine Gay recently resigning due to criticism and allegations of plagiarism.
- Griffin raises concerns about the direction of elite education in America, questioning whether it is preparing future leaders or catering to the grievances of students caught up in a discourse of oppressor and oppressed.
Additional Coverage:
Billionaire Ken Griffin, who has donated more than $500 million to Harvard University, has announced that he will no longer be giving money to the prestigious college. Griffin believes that the school has lost its way and strayed from its original purpose of educating American children. He made these comments at a conference in Miami, where he also criticized students at Harvard and other elite colleges, referring to them as “whiny snowflakes.” Griffin, the founder and CEO of hedge fund Citadel and worth nearly $37 billion, is the 35th wealthiest person in the world according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Griffin’s remarks come as college campuses face intense scrutiny regarding the handling of antisemitism. Harvard President Claudine Gay recently resigned from her role after facing criticism for her testimony on the university’s response to rising antisemitism on campus, as well as allegations of plagiarism in her academic work.
During the conference, Griffin raised concerns about the direction of elite education in America, questioning whether it is preparing future leaders or indulging the grievances of young students caught up in a rhetoric of oppressor and oppressed. Harvard did not provide an immediate comment on Griffin’s statements.
The December congressional hearing, in which Gay and other college leaders testified, led to University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill also resigning. Critics accused the leaders of failing to clearly address whether calls for genocide against Jewish people would violate their schools’ policies.
As a Harvard graduate himself, Griffin expressed a desire to resume his donations to the university. However, he stated that it would depend on the institution returning to what he sees as its fundamental mission of educating young American leaders who can tackle difficult issues and solve problems.
Griffin is not the only wealthy Harvard alumnus to express concerns about the school’s student body and leadership. Hedge fund investor CEO Bill Ackman called on Harvard to disclose the names of students belonging to organizations that blamed Israel for a Hamas attack in October. Ackman wants to ensure that he does not inadvertently hire any of their members.