Billionaire Len Blavatnik is joining the list of frustrated Harvard donors closing their checkbooks to the university.
Blavatnik鈥檚 family foundation has suspended donations to Harvard in the wake of President Claudine Gay鈥檚 disastrous testimony before Congress, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN.
Blavatnik, who is Jewish and has amassed a fortune that Forbes estimates is worth US$32 billion, is holding back donations to Harvard until the university addresses antisemitism on campus, the source said.
The Harvard Business School graduate has a history of generous giving to the Ivy League school as well as to . Blavatnik鈥檚 family foundation has donated at least US$270 million to Harvard, the source said.
Born in Ukraine and raised in Russia, Blavatnik made his early fortune after the Soviet Union collapsed, a time when state-owned aluminum, oil and other companies underwent privatization. He鈥檚 been a U.S. citizen for four decades and expanded his investments and philanthropy widely over time.
Blavatnik hasn鈥檛 made specific demands to Harvard, but he wants the university to ensure Jewish students are protected the same way other students are, the source said.
While hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman and others have all but severed ties with Harvard, Blavatnik is leaving open the door to resume donations.
鈥淗e wants Harvard to do better. He鈥檚 not trying to step away or abandon the place,鈥 the source said.
News of Blavatnik鈥檚 decision to pause giving to Harvard was first reported by . Harvard did not comment on the news. Blavatnik鈥檚 foundation declined to comment.
Harvard and other universities have faced a backlash from some donors following their response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Later that month, more than 1,600 Harvard alumni vowed to withhold donations until stronger action was taken to fight antisemitism on campus.
That backlash grew in intensity after Gay and the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and MIT struggled to answer questions from lawmakers at a hearing earlier this month about whether calls for the genocide of Jews violates university rules. Facing calls for her firing, Gay apologized for her testimony.
Blavatnik鈥檚 decision deals a significant blow to Harvard. In 2018, he promised to give Harvard Medical School a
Blavatnik, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017, has a history of giving money to universities as well as politicians. He reportedly to both Pete Buttigieg鈥檚 presidential campaign as the Trump inaugural committee.
The news comes as Harvard continues to face pressure over its handling of antisemitism and as Gay has come under fire for plagiarism. Harvard said on Thursday that Gay will issue corrections to her 1997 PhD dissertation to address 鈥渋nadequate citation.鈥
Last week, Harvard disclosed figures that showed
Just before announcing plans to issue corrections to her dissertation, Gay held a virtual town hall with hundreds of faculty members on Tuesday, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN.
The plagiarism controversy that has swirled around Gay did not come up during that Zoom town hall with members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the source said.
About a dozen Harvard faculty members spoke during the event and all of them were supportive, according to the source.
By late Wednesday, Harvard announced in a that Gay plans to make additional corrections to her writings due to 鈥渋nadequate citation,鈥 intensifying the debate over plagiarism and Harvard鈥檚 handling of the matter.
A Harvard spokesperson declined to comment. News of Gay鈥檚 Zoom town hall with faculty was previously .
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