Shafik has been criticized for her handling of protests that rocked the university campus earlier this year.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik 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 his departure in a statement posted on its website Wednesday.
“This period has had a significant impact on my family, as it has on other members of our community,” Shafik wrote in a letter to university staff and students. “It has also been a time of turmoil and the challenges of overcoming differences of opinion within 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 campus in April, inspiring similar encampments at other institutions across the United States and beyond.
As the protests grew, Shafik was summoned before a congressional committee over allegations that the university failed to protect students and staff from rising anti-Semitism.
The next day, she let the New York police enter the campus to disperse the protesters and about 100 people were arrested, sparking outrage among protesters and some academics and calls for her resignation. Tensions escalated further in late April, when police returned to campus, arresting about 300 people and dismantling the encampment.
“Over the summer, I have had a chance to reflect and have decided that my departure at this time would better position Columbia to meet the challenges ahead,” Shafik said. “I am making this announcement now so that new leadership can be in place before the start of the new term.”
Shafik’s resignation was welcomed by some protesters, as well as by those who had accused her of allowing anti-Semitism to flourish.
The trustees announced that Katrina Armstrong will serve as interim president of Columbia. She currently serves as chief executive officer of Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
The new academic year is scheduled to begin on September 3.
Nearly 40,000 people have been killed since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, after Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2011. At least 1,139 people were killed and some 240 others captured in the attack.
The war in Gaza has reduced much of the Palestinian territory to rubble and displaced most of its residents.
South Africa has accused Israel of genocide in a case currently under investigation by the International Court of Justice.
