- Columbia University president resigns after Gaza protests turmoil
- Her resignation comes just a year after taking the position
- Shafik’s decision follows criticism of her handling of Gaza war protests
- She is the third Ivy League president to step down over similar issues
- Katrina Armstrong will serve as interim president
Columbia University president resigns after Gaza protests turmoil
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik has resigned amidst a heated free speech debate sparked by campus protests over the war in Gaza. Her resignation comes just a year after taking the position and shortly before the autumn semester begins.
Shafik’s decision follows criticism of her handling of Gaza war protests, making her the third Ivy League president to step down over similar issues. Controversy peaked in April when she authorised New York Police Department officers to intervene on campus, leading to the arrest of about 100 students who were protesting inside a university building. This was the first mass arrest on Columbia’s campus since the Vietnam War protests, and it fueled further demonstrations across U.S. and Canadian colleges.
Katrina Armstrong, CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will serve as interim president.
In an email to students and faculty on Wednesday, Shafik wrote that she has overseen a “period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community”.
“This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community.”
“Over the summer, I have been able to reflect and have decided that my moving on at this point would best enable Columbia to traverse the challenges ahead,” Shafik wrote in her letter.
“I have tried to navigate a path that upholds academic principles and treats everyone with fairness and compassion,” she continued.
“It has been distressing – for the community, for me as president and on a personal level – to find myself, colleagues, and students the subject of threats and abuse.”