Minouche Shafik Announces Resignation as Columbia University President

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik announced her resignation on Wednesday, just weeks before the fall semester begins, and only 13 months after she took office. Shafik’s decision to step down comes in the wake of several scandals involving anti-Israel and anti-Semitic protests that have shaken the university’s Morningside Heights campus.

The most recent controversy involved the resignation of three deans last week, following the exposure of offensive, anti-Semitic text messages they exchanged during an alumni reunion panel on Jewish life held in late May. These revelations were reported by the Washington Free Beacon, adding to the growing unrest at Columbia.

In an email to the Columbia community, Shafik expressed her sorrow over her departure. “I write with sadness to tell you that I am stepping down as president of Columbia University effective August 14, 2024,” she stated. Reflecting on the turmoil that has engulfed the university, she added, “This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community. Over the summer, I have been able to reflect and have decided that my moving on at this point would best enable Columbia to traverse the challenges ahead.”

Shafik’s resignation follows similar departures from other Ivy League presidents in connection with the rise of anti-Semitism on university campuses after Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent war against the terrorist organization.

University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned in December 2023 after her controversial testimony before Congress, where she hesitated to definitively state whether calls for the genocide of Jews violated the university’s code of conduct. Soon after, Harvard University President Claudine Gay also stepped down following revelations of extensive plagiarism in her scholarly work.

During her brief tenure, Shafik faced intense criticism as Columbia became a focal point for anti-Israel protests. The situation reached a boiling point in late April when student activists stormed and occupied a university building. Despite attempts to negotiate, Shafik ultimately called in the New York Police Department to remove the students and dismantle the encampment they had created. The administration's struggle to maintain campus security led to the cancellation of the school’s graduation ceremony in May.

Tensions escalated further when, during alumni reunions, student activists erected another encampment, featuring a cardboard missile with photographs of university leaders, including Shafik, declaring, “We’re back, bitches.” It was during this tumultuous weekend that four of Shafik’s deputies—Columbia College Dean Josef Sorett, Vice Dean and Chief Administrative Officer Susan Chang-Kim, Dean of Undergraduate Student Life Cristen Kromm, and Dean of Student and Family Support Matthew Patashnick—were caught exchanging hostile text messages about a panel on Jewish life at Columbia. Chang-Kim, Kromm, and Patashnick resigned last week in the wake of the scandal.

Shafik will be succeeded on an interim basis by Katrina Armstrong, the CEO of Columbia’s Irving Medical Center and Dean of the university’s medical school. In an email, David Greenwald and Claire Shipman, co-chairs of Columbia’s board of trustees, expressed their disappointment at Shafik’s departure but voiced confidence in Armstrong’s leadership. “We believe that Katrina is the right leader for this moment,” they stated, urging the Columbia community to support her during this transitional period.

As Columbia grapples with the fallout from these events, the university’s leadership faces the daunting task of restoring stability and addressing the deep divisions that have emerged on campus.

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