There is no question that Harvard suffered immense reputational damage by protecting Gay from calls for her removal, and whether or not her resignation can salvage the school’s damaged reputation remains to be seen, as places like Harvard have rightly seen donations and applications plummet during the past few months.

But removing Gay will not solve Harvard’s moral and intellectual rot. Nor will it solve the moral and intellectual bankruptcy that plagues the vast majority of higher education institutions. The only way Harvard can be reformed is to be totally rebuilt; that can only occur by destruction, which is more likely than yesterday, but still a lofty goal.

Discarding a serial plagiarist and intellectual lightweight who excuses antisemitism should always be encouraged. But Gay did not become the president of Harvard by accident.