Columbia University president resigns after months of mounting pressure over anti-Israel protests

The embattled president of Columbia University, Minouche Shafik, has resigned effective immediately, Fox News Digital has confirmed.

Shafik announced her decision Wednesday in a letter addressed to the Columbia community after facing repeated calls to step down over her response to the anti-Israel protests and encampments that overtook Columbia's campus in the spring and led to the cancelation of classes as well as the school's main commencement ceremony in May.

"I write with sadness to tell you that I am stepping down as president of Columbia University effective August 14, 2024. I have had the honor and privilege to lead this incredible institution, and I believe that—working together—we have made progress in a number of important areas. However, it has also been a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community," she wrote.

"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. I am making this announcement now so that new leadership can be in place before the new term begins."

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While accepting Shafik's resignation, the Board of Trustees announced Katrina Armstrong, chief executive officer of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will serve as the interim president. 

"During my inauguration, I spoke of Columbia as an exemplar of a great 21st century university committed to educating leaders and citizens, generating knowledge and ideas to solve problems, and engaging at the local and global level to deliver real impact in improving people’s lives," Shafik said. "As president, I have been proud to witness Columbia making so many contributions to delivering that vital mission. I also spoke about the values and principles which are dear to me and, I know, to the Columbia community as well: academic freedom and free speech; openness to ideas; and zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind—including gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or ethnicity. This mission, and the values and principles underpinning it, constitute our North Star. Even as tension, division, and politicization have disrupted our campus over the last year, our core mission and values endure and will continue to guide us in meeting the challenges ahead."

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"I have tried to navigate a path that upholds academic principles and treats everyone with fairness and compassion. 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. As President Lincoln said, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand’—we must do all we can to resist the forces of polarization in our community. I remain optimistic that differences can be overcome through the honest exchange of views, truly listening, and—always—by treating each other with dignity and respect. Again, Columbia’s core mission to create and acquire knowledge, with our values as foundation, will lead us there," she added.

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Shafik had been accused by Jewish students of allowing anti-Israel radicals to run amok on her campus with little intervention or discipline. In April, House Speaker Mike Johnson demanded that Shafik resign if she couldn't stand up to the agitators, calling her leadership "very weak" and "inept."

"As a result of President Shafik’s refusal to protect Jewish students and maintain order on campus, Columbia University became the epicenter for virulent antisemitism that has plagued many American university campuses since Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel last fall," Johnson said Wednesday in response to her resignation, calling it "long overdue."

"We hope that President Shafik’s resignation serves as an example to university administrators across the country that tolerating or protecting antisemites is unacceptable and will have consequences," he said.

Shafik testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in April about allegations of antisemitism on campus. Her testimony was regarded as dismissive of the concerns of Jewish students, who accused her of turning a blind eye to the anti-Jewish sentiment at Columbia while refusing to engage with their student groups.

"During Shafik’s presidency, a disturbing wave of antisemitic harassment, discrimination, and disorder engulfed Columbia university’s campus. Jewish students and faculty have been mocked, harassed, and assaulted simply for their identity. Every student has the right to a safe learning environment. Period. Yet, flagrant violations of the law and the university rules went unpunished," committee chair Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. said Wednesday.

"Columbia’s next leader must take bold action to address the pervasive antisemitism, support for terrorism, and contempt for the university’s rules that have been allowed to flourish on its campus," she added.

House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., accused Shafik, at the time of attempting to "cover-up" for a "pro-terrorist" professor who had celebrated the Oct. 7 attacks.

Stefanik also called for Shafik’s removal after a mob of anti-Israel agitators took over an academic building. The agitators held workers hostage, made demands to the university and barricaded the building. Shafik eventually caved and called police for help, but critics accused her of dragging her feet while chaos ran rampant under her watch.

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In her letter to the Columbia community, Armstrong wrote, "I am deeply honored to be called to serve as interim president of our beloved institution… Challenging times present both the opportunity and the responsibility for serious leadership to emerge from every group and individual within a community. This is such a time at Columbia. As I step into this role, I am acutely aware of the trials the University has faced over the past year. We should neither understate their significance, nor allow them to define who we are and what we will become. The familiar excitement and promise of a new academic year are informed this year by the presence of change and continuing concerns, but also by the immense opportunity to look forward, to join together for the laudable mission we are here to serve, and to become our best selves individually and institutionally.

"Never has it been more important to train leaders capable of elevating society and addressing the complexity of modern life. Columbia University has a long history of meeting the moment, and I have faith that we will do so once again," she said.

"Much of this work will fall to the Columbia faculty. You are the ultimate keepers of the institution’s values and the stewards of its long and proud history. The habit of critical thinking and humility that gives birth to tolerance of contrary points of view is the most essential lesson taught in Columbia's classrooms and the intellectual common ground that unifies the many scholarly pursuits found across our campuses."

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As for Sharik's future plans, she wrote that she has been asked by the U.K.’s Foreign Secretary to chair a review of the government’s approach "to international development and how to improve capability."

"I am very pleased and appreciative that this will afford me the opportunity to return to work on fighting global poverty and promoting sustainable development, areas of lifelong interest to me," her letter said. 

Shafik served as president of the Ivy League university for one year before stepping down.

She joins three other Ivy League university presidents who resigned after facing allegations of mishandling antisemitism amid anti-Israel campus unrest. 

University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned December 9, 2023, followed by Harvard University President Claudine Gay, who stepped down on January 2, 2024. Most recently, Cornell University President Martha Pollack retired on June 30, 2024. 

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Fox News' CB Cotton and Alexa Moutevelis contributed to this story.