Columbia University President Minouche Shakif has resigned from her position following pro-Palestine protests.
In a statement explaining her resignation, Shakif said the “period of turmoil” 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. I am making this announcement now so that new leadership can be in place before the new term begins,” she wrote.
“I have tried to navigate a path that upholds academic principles and treats everyone with fairness and compassion,” Shakif added. “It has been distressing—for the community, for me as president and on a personal level—to find myself, colleagues, and students the subject of threats and abuse.”
“I want to conclude by thanking the entire Columbia community for their support and understanding. This is truly one of the world’s great institutions with a proud history and legacy of achievement,” she noted. “Having come to know and work with the amazing people here—passionate, intelligent, committed—I have no doubt that Columbia’s future will be even more illustrious.”
Katrina Armstrong, the university’s executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences, is now interim president.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) celebrated Shakif’s departure.
“As I have said consistently since her catastrophic testimony at the Education and Workforce Committee hearing, Columbia University’s President Minouche Shafik’s failed presidency was untenable and that is was only a matter of time before her forced resignation,” she wrote on X. “After failing to protect Jewish students and negotiating with pro Hamas terrorists, this forced resignation is long overdue. We will continue to demand moral clarity, condemnation of antisemitism, protection of Jewish students and faculty, and stronger leadership from American higher education institutions.”
Several other university presidents announced their departures.
Cornell University President Martha Pollack resigned in May.
Former University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned in December after widespread outrage over her testimony to Congress on antisemitism. Former Harvard President Claudine Gay similarly resigned following allegations of plagiarism and failure to condemn antisemitism.
