Columbia University’s President Minouche Shafik has resigned amid the unrest that followed the Gaza war. Her resignation, announced on Wednesday, 14 August, precedes the start of the academic year by mere weeks and marks the end of her roughly one-year tenure.
Shafik’s decision follows intense and ongoing criticism of her response to pro-Palestinian protests that have significantly impacted the university since October 2023. In her resignation statement, she stated, “It has 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,” she added. “Over the summer, I have been able to reflect and have decided that moving on at this point would best enable Columbia to traverse the challenges ahead.” With her resignation, four of the eight Ivy League university presidents have now stepped down following controversies related to the Gaza war.
According to Egyptian Streets, the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University resigned after receiving widespread criticism. Later, the president of Cornell University also stepped down. Shafik announced her resignation effective immediately and revealed that she would be taking on a new role with the UK Foreign Secretary to lead a review of the government’s international development policy.
In April of this year, pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University set up a camp on campus, named the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, to pressure the prestigious Ivy League institution into severing ties with Israeli academic institutions and divesting from Israel.
The encampment was forcibly removed the next day after Shafik requested the intervention of the New York City Police Department. Over 100 protesters were arrested on charges of criminal trespassing. Columbia University also suspended the students involved in the protest.
