Columbia University stoked outrage by appointing Farah Jasmine Griffin—a longtime supporter of BDS (the boycott, disinvestment, sanctions movement targeting Israel)—to the esteemed University Professor position, its “highest academic distinction.” Griffin joins an elite circle of just eight professors, a move critics say undermines the school’s credibility at a critical moment.
In her 2016 faculty petition, Griffin accused Israel of “inhumane segregation and systemic forms of discrimination” and urged Columbia to divest “from corporations that supply, perpetuate, and profit from a system that has subjugated the Palestinian people.” She also signed a 2002 divestment petition targeting Israel and allegedly acted as a protest marshal at the 2023 campus encampment.
Columbia President Claire Shipman hailed Griffin as “a scholar of rare breadth and clarity,” but the appointment raises concerns among students and donors. Columbia senior Lishi Baker said, “If Columbia is trying to change the culture on campus, they should reward faculty whose contributions don’t come with antisemitism, discrimination, or disruption.” Recent graduate Eden Yadegar added: “Granting the university’s highest honor to a faculty member with a known and extensive record of antisemitic discrimination,” Yadegar said. “is the very antithesis of the sort of action Columbia should be taking if they truly are committed to positive change.”
Critics also warn that this move complicates President Shipman’s push to restore over $430 million in Trump-era slashed federal funding. The university faces a “Non‑Compliance Warning” from its accreditor, raising the stakes further.
In conclusion, this controversial pick shows Columbia’s misplaced priorities: rewarding ideology over integrity. As Yadegar noted, Griffin’s promotion “is the very antithesis” of real change.
