Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman plans to form a think tank to study higher education after his success in forcing ousted Harvard University president Claudine Gay to resign.
The 57-year-old founder of Pershing Square Capital Management says he wants enough to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitism in the wake of Hamas' deadly attack on Israel and subsequent military operation in Gaza. He became famous for criticizing his alma mater for not teaching the same level of education. .
He has also spoken out against Harvard's diversity and inclusion program, arguing that it stifles meritocracy.
To address these issues, Ackman announced Friday his intention to form a team with a chief executive officer and a board of directors who will “tackle these issues in a very proactive way.”
“This is going to be a thinking tank,” he told CNBC's “Squawk Box.”
“We're going to study these problems, come up with solutions to the problems, and implement them.”
But Ackman said he can no longer support Democrats advancing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to bring about real change.
“I was a Bill Clinton Democrat, and what the party has become is not something I want to be associated with,” he said in an interview Friday.
Ackman previously claimed in a lengthy social media post that his alma mater's diversity, equity, and inclusion policies were the “root cause of anti-Semitism” at Harvard.
“DEI is racist because reverse racism is racism, even if it's against white people (and it's worth noting that this needs to be pointed out),” he said. wrote.
He went on to accuse the DEI movement of being a “significant contributor to increasing our divisions,” creating resentment and being “one of the most important drivers of racism.” It pointed out.
Mr. Ackman concluded his post by calling for the resignation of Harvard University trustees who supported Mr. Gay despite his damning testimony to Congress regarding anti-Semitic protests on campus.
“Penny Pritzker, chair of the board, contributed significantly to societal harm, including by leading the campaign to keep Claudine Gay, orchestrating strategies to intimidate the media, and bypassing the process to assess plagiarism.” He should resign along with the rest of the board. It's done,” Ackman said.
“These are the minimum changes needed to begin repairing the damage that has been done,” he said.
He is also helping four alumni seek to join Harvard's Board of Overseers. The board has the power to approve or veto the hiring of Harvard's next president and is the school's second-highest governing body after the embattled Harvard Corporation.
The four candidates, Zoe Bedell, Logan Leslie, Julia Pollack, and Alec Williams, will protect free speech, protect students from bullying and harassment, and support the school's $50.7 billion endowment. He is running on the platform of addressing financial mismanagement, including financial mismanagement.
“Harvard needs to change. Bringing fresh young blood to the Board of Supervisors could help with that,” Ackman, who has donated about $50 million to Harvard, said in an interview with Reuters late Tuesday. He spoke at
He added that the candidates he supports are “talented, accomplished, and motivated, and their candidacy will be a wake-up call for Harvard.”
The four candidates range in age from 26 to 38 and all have served in the U.S. military.
To run for the board, candidates must collect at least 3,300 signatures by the end of January from Ivy League alumni, representing 1% of voting alumni.
Comes with post wire.
