Minouche Shafik resigns as Columbia president after tumultuous year
Al Jazeera
Shafik drew criticism over her handling of Gaza war protests that rocked the university campus earlier this year.
Minouche Shafik, the president of Columbia University, has announced her resignation after a tumultuous year marked by tensions with staff and students over her handling of campus protests against the Gaza war.
The university announced her departure in a statement on its website on Wednesday.
“This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community,” Shafik wrote in a letter to the university’s staff and students. “It has also been a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community.”
David Greenberg and Claire Shipman, co-chairs of the university’s Board of Trustees, said they understood and respected her decision.
Protests against the Gaza war began on Columbia’s New York City campus in April, soon inspiring similar encampments at other institutions across the United States.
