Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg supports a non-traditional candidate for a university position, who happens to be a Harvard dropout.

Sam Lessin, a Harvard College graduate vying for a position on the esteemed alumni council, received support from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who famously dropped out of the university. Lessin, a venture capitalist who previously worked at Zuckerberg’s social media empire, commenced his campaign last month to join the Board of Overseers, a committee that advises university leadership on various matters. Lessin announced that Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, would participate in a Zoom call on Friday to discuss his endeavor to become a write-in candidate for the overseers ballot.

“In light of the evolving situation on Harvard’s campus and the abysmal response from the administration, I want to join the Harvard Board of Overseers to help Harvard move forward,” Lessin wrote on LinkedIn.

Chan and Zuckerberg are the largest donors in Harvard’s history. The couple’s philanthropy pledged $500 million to Harvard in 2021 to establish an artificial intelligence institute. Zuckerberg’s net worth is approximately $141 billion, making him the fifth richest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Harvard’s accusations of rising anti-Semitism on campus against Hamas’s Israel 7. since the October attack have been embarrassing. Melko has led to a government investigation and two congressional investigations, but at the same time, alumni and major donors are suspending the donation. Billionaire investor Bill Ackman, a Harvard graduate, is backing another candidate seeking a run for supervisors.

The controversy has hardly abated since President Claudine Gay resigned earlier this month. President Claudine Gay received criticism for her response to anti-Semitism at Harvard and was also weighed down by accusations of plagiarism. In addition, alumni and donors have criticized the Harvard Corp., the school’s top governing body, which is chaired by Penny Pritzker, the former U.S. secretary of commerce.

Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard to found Facebook, whose parent company is now known as Meta Platforms Inc. Chan graduated in 2007, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Lessin, who graduated from Harvard in 2005, said he ran “to help deal with glaring failures of leadership.” Registered candidates must collect more than 3,000 signatures by the end of January to be on the spring ballot.