Columbia’s President resigns after months of turmoil punctuated by clashes over Israel-Hamas war

Columbia University President resigns amid controversy over Israel-Hamas protests, antisemitism, sparking campus unrest and leadership changes.

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned Wednesday (August 15, 2024) after a brief, tumultuous tenure that saw the head of the prestigious New York university face heavy scrutiny for her handling of protests and campus divisions over the Israel-Hamas war.

The Ivy League school in upper Manhattan was roiled this year by student demonstrations, culminating in scenes of police officers carrying zip ties and riot shields storming a building that had been occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters. Similar protests swept college campuses nationwide, with many leading to violent clashes with police and thousands of arrests.

The announcement also comes just days after the school confirmed that three deans had resigned after officials said they exchanged disparaging texts during a campus discussion about Jewish life and antisemitism.

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Ms. Shafik was also among the university leaders called for questioning before Congress earlier this year. She was heavily criticized by Republicans, who accused her of not doing enough to combat concerns about antisemitism on Columbia’s campus.

Ms. Shafik, who was appointed to the role in January last year, announced her resignation in an emailed letter to the university community just weeks before the start of classes on September 3, 2024. The University on Monday (August 12, 2024) began restricting campus access to people with Columbia IDs and registered guests, saying it wanted to curb “potential disruptions” as the new semester nears.

In her letter, Ms. Shafik heralded “progress in a number of important areas” but lamented that during her tenure it was "difficult to overcome divergent views across our community.”