After Little More Than a Year, Columbia President Resigns

After just over a year in the position, Minouche Shafik abruptly resigned as president of Columbia University Wednesday. Shafik, who stepped into the role in July of last year and was the school's first female president, had faced criticism from multiple sides for her handling of protests related to Israel's war on Gaza at the New York City campus, and she cited the "turmoil" in her letter of resignation, the Guardian reports. "This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community," she wrote, adding that it "has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community." A school leader who spoke to NBC News anonymously says the "intense criticism and tension" had clearly been hard on Shafik, but that the move, which came just weeks before the beginning of the fall semester, was still unexpected.

Shafik had been criticized not only by pro-Palestinian protesters for her handling of the student encampments, but also by House Republicans for her handling of alleged antisemitism on the campus. Both sides responded to her resignation:

• "After months of chanting 'Minouche Shafik you can't hide' she finally got the memo," the Columbia chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine posted on X. "To be clear, any future president who does not pay heed to the Columbia student body's overwhelming demand for divestment will end up exactly as President Shafik did."
• "THREE DOWN, so many to go," posted Rep. Elise Stefanik on X, referring to the previous resignations of the Harvard and Penn presidents. "After failing to protect Jewish students and negotiating with pro Hamas terrorists, this forced resignation is long overdue."

Her resignation is effective immediately, and she has accepted a position with the UK's foreign secretary in which she will "chair a review of the government's approach to international development." Katrina Armstrong, CEO of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will serve as the school's interim president. (More Columbia University stories.)