Columbia University President Resigns After Being Fiercely Criticized Over Response to Anti-Israel Protests

Columbia University’s president, Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, abruptly resigned from her post after a short-lived tenure of just more than a year, a university spokesman announced on Wednesday night. The news comes after Ms. Shafik faced mounting criticism over her handling of anti-Israel encampments that set up shop on the Morningside Heights campus following Israel’s defensive war in Gaza. “I write with sadness to tell you that I am stepping down as president of Columbia University,” Ms. Shafik sent in a campus-wide email on Wednesday night. “I have had the honor and privilege to lead this incredible institution, and I believe that — working together — we have made progress in a number of important areas.”New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus using a tactical vehicle, April 30, 2024, after the building was taken over by protesters. AP/Craig Ruttle“However, it had also been a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community. This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community.”Ms. Shafik, who had only assumed her post in July 2023, is the third Ivy League president to resign amid tumultuous protests that erupted on American college campuses after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. She joins former Harvard University president, Claudine Gay, and former University of Pennsylvania president, Liz Magill on the list of toppled academic leaders. The protests at Columbia were among the most disruptive to hit any American campus as controversy raged over academic institutions’ responses to the war in Gaza. Ms. Shafik found herself battered from all sides. In April, she testified before Congress at a hearing entitled “Columbia in Crisis” during which she apologized to members of Congress for not defending Jewish students more forcefully. This led to outrage among Columbia’s left wing faculty. Ms. Shafik was further criticized by anti-Israel forces for calling in the New York City Police Department to deal with protesters who had occupied Hamilton Hall, a university building. More than 100 protesters – a mix of students and outside agitators – were arrested over the course of the demonstrations, including Barnard student Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a member of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s far left “Squad.” Dozens of students were suspended and some were not allowed to receive their degrees at commencement.A sign sits erected at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University, April 22, 2024. AP/Stefan JeremiahManhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg opted to drop the charges against the majority of those arrested. The controversies at Columbia continued into the summer. Just last week, three Columbia deans who were caught sending disparaging texts about Jewish students discussing antisemitism on campus also stepped down. The scandal, aptly known as “textgate,” prompted Columbia’s Jewish Alumni Association to call for a complete faculty “overhaul” to rid the university of its antisemitism, which they cited as “a regular, defining feature of life on Columbia University’s campus.”

Columbia University President Resigns After Being Fiercely Criticized Over Response to Anti-Israel Protests

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