Claudine Gay is the 30th president since Harvard University’s founding in 1640. On Friday, Claudine Gay, the newest president of Harvard University, was welcomed. She is the second woman and the first Black person to oversee the university.

“I stand before you today humbled by the prospect of leading Harvard, emboldened by the trust you have placed in me, and energized by your own commitment to this singular institution and to the common cause of higher education,” she said.