Columbia University President Resigns Amid Campus Unrest Over Gaza War

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik has resigned from her role as president nearly four months after turmoil on campus in relation to protests over Israel’s war on Gaza. Columbia students set up an encampment on campus in solidarity with Palestine in April, protesting against the university’s ties with Israeli companies.

Shafik, an economist with British and US nationality, served as Columbia’s president for only one year, the shortest term in the institution’s history since 1801. She became the 20th president of Columbia on July 1, 2023, Erudera.com reports.

She is also the third president of an Ivy League school to resign due to how pro-Palestinian protests were handled on campus. In December last year, the president of the University of Pennsylvania, Liz Magill, resigned, while Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, stepped down a month later.

Announcing her resignation, Shafik sent an email to the university’s community on Wednesday, only a few weeks before the fall semester of the 2024/25 academic year begins. She said the period of turmoil on campus has “taken a considerable toll on her family.”

“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. I am making this announcement now so that new leadership can be in place before the new term begins,” Shafik wrote.

Katrina Armstrong, chief executive officer of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will now serve as the interim president, while Shafik is expected to join the British government. In her letter, Shafik expressed commitment to working with the interim president and ensuring an “orderly transition.”

“I am very pleased and appreciative that this will afford me the opportunity to return to work on fighting global poverty and promoting sustainable development, areas of lifelong interest to me. It also enables me to return to the House of Lords to reengage with the important legislative agenda put forth by the new UK government,” she added.

On April 18, Shafik asked the New York Police Department to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus, when more than 100 people were arrested.

“With great regret, we request the NYPD’s help to remove these individuals,” Shafik wrote in a letter sent to the NYPD.

Then, on April 30, the university asked the police again for help as the student protests continued, an operation that resulted in the arrest of 300 people.

Image source: Columbia University