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Columbia University’s president, Minouche Shafik, resigned on Wednesday due to fallout from her administration’s handling of on-campus protests.
The Ivy League school in New York became the tumultuous epicenter of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations seen on campuses across the US, and a major target for the political backlash the followed.
Katrina Armstrong, the CEO of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, has been appointed as interim president.
Shafik had faced criticism from both pro-Palestinian groups and Jewish student groups and alumni, as well as US lawmakers, for her handling of the protests, which came to a head after Shafik authorized city police to clear encampments in April, resulting in multiple arrests.
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Shafik is the third president of an Ivy League university to resign in the wake of last semester’s campus protests. After being named interim president, Armstrong called for “optimism and resolve,” adding that the start of term provided an opportunity “to renew our vision and strengthen our community.”
And as the new academic year approaches, US campuses are bracing for renewed protests and demonstrations as the war in Gaza continues: Harvard reportedly plans to ban overnight camping and unapproved signage, and Columbia will limit campus access to prevent “disruption.”