Round-up: Columbia President Resigns

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned abruptly Wednesday after months of pressure from Congress and campus constituents over her handling of pro-Palestinian student protests.

Shafik held the presidency for about year and endured a tumultuous spring when pro-Palestinian protesters established an encampment on campus in protest of the Israel-Hamas war.  The protest sparked similar encampments and unrest on campuses across the country.

She was one of seven presidents to testify before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce about antisemitism on campus.  She becomes the third of those seven to step down, joining former Harvard University President Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, both of whom resigned after a widely panned December 2023 hearing performance

Columbia has appointed Dr. Katrina Armstrong, an administrator and professor, as interim president in the wake of Shafik’s resignation, according to the university website.

Below is select media coverage of the announcement:

Columbia President Minouche Shafik Resigns Unexpectedly
Inside Higher Ed(August 15, 2024)

Columbia’s President, Whose Response to Protests Ignited Encampments Nationwide, Resigns Suddenly
The Chronicle of Higher Education (August 15, 2024)

Columbia President Resigns After Months of Turmoil on Campus
The New York Times (August 15, 2024)

Seeking Calm, Columbia University Asks a Doctor to Lead
The New York Times (August 15, 2024)

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik Resigns
The Wall Street Journal (August 15, 2024)

Columbia’s President Resigns After Months of Turmoil Punctuated by Clashes Over Israel-Hamas War
The Associated Press (August 15, 2024)

Columbia University President Resigns Months After Protests Over the Israel-Hamas War
USA Today (August 15, 2024)