Columbia University President Minouche Shafik has resigned from her position, nearly four months after the campus was rocked by protests related to the Gaza war. This decision follows a period of intense scrutiny and controversy surrounding her handling of the situation.
In an email to students and faculty, Shafik acknowledged the “period of turmoil” on campus, stating that it has been “difficult to overcome divergent views across our community.” She also cited the impact on her family and the need for Columbia to “traverse the challenges ahead.”
Shafik’s resignation marks the third Ivy League president to step down in the wake of protests related to the war. Both the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania resigned following criticism for their handling of protests and congressional testimony.
The turmoil at Columbia began in April when Shafik allowed the New York Police Department to deploy officers to the campus. This decision, deemed controversial by many, resulted in the arrest of around 100 students who were occupying a university building. The incident, the first instance of mass arrests on Columbia’s campus since the Vietnam War protests, sparked widespread protests at other colleges throughout the US and Canada.
Shafik’s resignation also comes in the wake of the departure of three Columbia University deans last week. These deans resigned after text messages revealed their use of “antisemitic tropes” while discussing Jewish students. The messages were initially published by the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce in early July.
Shafik, a respected Egyptian-born economist with experience at the World Bank, IMF, and Bank of England, previously served as president of the London School of Economics. Her resignation leaves a significant void at Columbia University, with Katrina Armstrong, chief executive officer of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, taking on the role of interim president.
