Columbia University president resigns after controversy over campus antisemitic protests

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik tendered her resignation Wednesday, weeks before the start of the new semester. The decision follows months of growing discontent on campus over her handling of protests over the Israel-Hamas war.

Shafik, who took office last July, faced intense criticism for her handling of tensions that arose following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Dr. Shafik came under fire from both progressive and antisemitic groups, who criticized her decision to call in the NYPD to evict radical protesters, and from Republicans, pro-Israel groups and members of the Jewish community, who felt that her response to the antisemitic protests was insufficient.

In her resignation message, she expressed that this period has significantly impacted her family and the Columbia 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," she said.

Shafik, an economist by training, announced that she will return to the British government to resume a role she held before assuming Columbia's presidency. "I am honored to have been asked by the UK’s Foreign Secretary to chair a review of the government’s approach to international development and how to improve capability," she said.

Dr. Shafik's resignation marks the third time in the last year that a female president of an Ivy League university has resigned amid controversies related to the management of tensions on its campuses.

Board of Trustees reaction and appointment of an interim president

The co-chairs of the university's board of trustees, David Greenwald and Claire Shipman, expressed in a letter to the community that, while they were disappointed by Shafik's departure, they understood and respected her decision. In addition, they announced that Katrina Armstrong, executive director of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will assume the position of interim president.

"As I step into this role, I am acutely aware of the trials the University has faced over the past year. We should neither understate their significance, nor allow them to define who we are and what we will become," Armstrong wrote in a letter to the university community following the announcement.

Statement from Mike Johnson

House Speaker Mike Johnson issued a statement following Minouche Shafik's resignation, calling her decision a belated but necessary response to serious shortcomings in protecting Jewish students and maintaining order on campus.

Johnson also stressed that he hopes this resignation will serve as a reminder to university administrators that tolerance of antisemitism is unacceptable and will have consequences.