A billionaire who previously donated large sums of money to his alma mater, Harvard University, has since criticized the school, and even I have distanced myself from the Democratic Party. He called diversity, equity and inclusion a “fundamentally flawed and racist ideology.”
Bill Ackman, 57, is the founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, a New York City-based hedge fund management company. He also holds a bachelor's degree and his MBA from Harvard University. reportedly He gave generously to the school, perhaps giving more than $40 million to the Harvard Kennedy School alone since graduation.
But he recently became concerned about Harvard's embrace of various left-wing ideologies, particularly DEI, which Ackman called a destructive “oppressor/oppressed framework.”When then-president Claudine Gay helped establish the Harvard University's Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging – Ackman, who identifies as Jewish, joined the chorus of calls for his resignation last month when he told Congress that calls for the genocide of Jews do not necessarily violate school policy.
“I have always believed that diversity is a key characteristic of successful organizations, and when I say diversity I mean viewpoints, politics, ethnicity, race, age, religion, experience, socio-economic “I mean diversity in its broadest form, including diversity in background, sexual identity, gender, upbringing, etc.,” Ackman wrote in a lengthy X post on Jan. 3.
“But what I learned is that DEI is not about diversity in its purest form; rather, DEI is about politics on behalf of certain groups that are considered oppressed under DEI's own methodology.” It was an advocacy movement.”
Gay resigned last week following multiple plagiarism allegations. She will remain at Harvard as her professor and receive a staggering annual salary of $900,000.
In his post after his resignation, Ackman acknowledged that his previous support for DEI had been “naive” and called for a return to Harvard's merit-based policies and for the permanent closure of Harvard's ODEIB.
“Harvard University is a meritocracy, where diversity is understood in its broadest form, so that students can learn in an environment that does not discriminate against faculty or students based on skin color and that welcomes the diverse perspectives of faculty and students. “We have to re-enter the university and come from truly diverse backgrounds and experiences,” Ackman wrote.
His distaste for DEI goes beyond Harvard. It even influenced his political views, including the direction of his considerable political activities. “I'm no longer a Democrat,” he tweeted Sunday to anti-DEI activist Christopher Rufo. “I'm a centrist. I only care about the truth…
”I made direct and PAC contributions to three Republican candidates in this election. @Christie, @NikkiHaley and @VivekGRAmaswamy.I recently wrote a check [Democrat] @deanbphillips,” the post continued.
In other places, Ackman He praised Rufo's book, “America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered All,'' calling it “brilliantly and carefully researched'' and “definitely a must-read.'' He also said he registered as a Democrat to vote in the last primary, but his vote is still being contested.
“I will vote for and support the person who is best for our country, regardless of party affiliation.”
But critics on the left have accused Mr. Ackman of harboring resentment toward Harvard, which has not catered to his every whim despite its healthy endowment. The Nation called Ackman “America's most entitled donor.”epidemiologist at Yale University Greg Gonsalves He described Ackman as a “nasty” and “bully” who “thinks his money equates to wisdom.”
“It's time to stand up to people like him,” Gonsalves said.
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