Harvard appointment of Nicholas Kristof’s wife to key role draws criticism from students, alumni
Harvard is facing criticism after naming Sheryl WuDunn, the wife of embattled New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, as vice chair of the Board of Overseers' executive committee.
The Board of Overseers is made up of Harvard alumni who "bring to bear their best judgment and deep commitment to Harvard’s overarching academic mission and long-term institutional interests," according to the university. It is one of its two governing boards and is said to play a key role in the governance of the university.
WuDunn's appointment was announced alongside the election of Judge Raymond Lohier as board president. Both were praised by Harvard University President Alan Garber as "distinguished alumni whose devotion to the University shines through their service."
"They share a deep commitment to the well-being of our students, as well as a keen interest in strengthening our visitation process," Garber told The Harvard Gazette.
"At a moment when higher education faces extraordinary challenges and scrutiny, I believe the role of the Overseers in helping safeguard the University’s academic excellence, integrity, and long-term mission has never been more important," WuDunn told The Harvard Gazette.
Kristof found himself at the center of controversy after the publication of his column on May 11, which contained several claims of alleged abuse by Israeli guards against Palestinian detainees. The piece included claims that Israel trained dogs to rape humans. The piece drew significant backlash and even threats of a lawsuit from the Israeli government.
While WuDunn has not publicly been identified as playing a role in the controversial column, she did repost a New York Times statement defending her husband's work as a "deeply reported piece of opinion journalism." The statement also said that details in the piece were "extensively fact-checked."
WuDunn and Kristof have collaborated professionally in the past. The two won the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting in 1990 for their on-the-ground coverage of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and the military crackdown that followed. They also co-authored the books "Tightrope" and "Half the Sky."
Kristof also celebrated his wife's appointment to the role, writing in a post on X, "Congrats to @Harvard University on having Sheryl @WuDunn as the new vice chair of the board of overseers. In my purely objective analysis, she’s a fantastic choice! She always holds up half the sky."
Given her husband's heavily scrutinized column, critics have said that the timing of her appointment was questionable.
"The university knew exactly what type of backlash this would receive and decided after the article had already been published to reveal this information," Harvard alumnus Alexander "Shabbos" Kestenbaum told Fox News Digital. "I don't judge her necessarily by the actions of her husband, but it's really the timing that seems odd, to put it mildly."
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Kestenbaum said the move was particularly telling amid Harvard's battle with the Trump administration, particularly when it comes to the administration's efforts to combat antisemitism on university campuses.
"They've been fighting the administration with far greater alacrity and seriousness than they ever even pretended to fight against antisemitism," he said. "I think this is just a stupid example of how the university is not aware of the real resentment and anger that so many of its Jewish community members have against it."
Jerome Comar, Harvard class of 2029, said that WuDunn's appointment contradicted the university's values.
"WuDunn’s appointment to the Board of Overseers, on the heels of her defense of her husband’s libelous and fabricated claims, is a move in the wrong direction for a Harvard that holds Veritas (truth) as its motto. It doesn’t take a Harvard degree to figure that one out," Comar told Fox News Digital.
Kristof and the New York Times have stood by his work in several public statements.
A Jewish Harvard undergraduate student who spoke with Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity dismissed Kristof's controversial piece as "thinly veiled antisemitism masquerading as journalism."
"It's deeply concerning that Harvard has elevated the wife and frequent co-author of a commentator who pushes blatant antisemitic tropes," the student said.
Media personality and Harvard alumna Samantha Ettus also slammed the university in a post on X that has since gone viral.
"Harvard’s antisemitism problem isn’t getting better. It’s getting promoted into leadership," Ettus wrote. "Sheryl WuDunn, MBA ’86, will serve as vice chair of the Board of Overseers executive committee for 2026-27... She is married to blood libelist Nicholas Kristof. Harvard knew. Harvard chose her anyway."
Harvard has faced substantial scrutiny over its handling of antisemitism on campus in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. University leadership was questioned on Capitol Hill and the school drew backlash from several donors.
Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard, WuDunn, and Kristof for comment.