Minouche Shafik, the president of Columbia University, has tendered her resignation following a turbulent year characterized by strained relations with both faculty and students over her management of campus protests related to the Gaza war.
Minouche Shafik said she has resigned effective immediately, a decision that comes almost four months after overseeing the university’s much-criticised handling of student protests against Israel’s war on Gaza.
“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,” Shafik said.
Protests against the Gaza war commenced on Columbia University’s New York City campus in April, sparking analogous demonstrations at institutions nationwide and internationally.
As these protests intensified, Minouche Shafik was called before a congressional committee to address allegations that the university had inadequately safeguarded students and staff from escalating anti-Semitism.
The next day, she allowed New York City police onto the campus to clear the protests and about 100 people were arrested, triggering outrage from protesters and some academics and calls for her resignation. Tensions rose further at the end of April, when police returned again to campus, arresting some 300 people and removing the encampment.
Shafik’s resignation was welcomed by some of the protesters, as well those who had accused her of allowing anti-Semitism to flourish
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