Billionaire Bill Ackman Criticizes Harvard for Alleged Anti-Semitic Incidents, Saying Its Diversity Policy Is ‘Serious Problem’

Harvard’s diversity efforts exclude Jewish, Asian, and non-LGBT white students, Mr. Ackman said.

Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital, speaks at the Wall Street Journal Digital Conference in Laguna Beach, Calif., on Oct. 17, 2017. Mike Blake/Reuters

Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has criticized alleged anti-Semitic incidents at Harvard University in an open letter, saying its diversity policies have contributed to the problem.

“For the past four weeks since the horrors of October 7th, I have been in dialogue with members of the corporation board, other alumni, as well as students and faculty sharing and comparing our concerns about the growing number of anti-Semitic incidents on campus, as we wait for you and the University to act,” Mr. Ackman wrote in the Nov. 4 letter to Harvard President Claudine Gay.