The embattled president of Columbia College, Minouche Shafik, has resigned efficient instantly, Fox Information Digital has confirmed.
Shafik introduced her choice in a letter addressed to the Columbia group after going through repeated calls to step down over her response to the anti-Israel protests that overtook Columbia’s campus following the October 7 bloodbath in Israel.
“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.
She continued, “I’ve knowledgeable the Board of Trustees, and I want to specific my immense appreciation to them for his or her help. I’m dedicated to working with the Interim President to make sure an orderly transition. I additionally wish to pay tribute to the deans, the College Management Group, and the workers of the President’s Workplace with whom I’ve labored so intently this final 12 months; they’ve and can proceed to do a unprecedented job for our college students, school, researchers, workers, and group.
“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. 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.
“I’ve tried to navigate a path that upholds tutorial ideas and treats everybody with equity and compassion. It has been distressing—for the group, for me as president and on a private degree—to search out myself, colleagues, and college students the topic of threats and abuse. As President Lincoln stated, “A house divided against itself cannot stand”—we should do all we will to withstand the forces of polarization in our group. I stay optimistic that variations will be overcome by way of the trustworthy alternate of views, really listening, and—at all times—by treating one another with dignity and respect. Once more, Columbia’s core mission to create and purchase information, with our values as basis, will lead us there.
“That is what we owe each other. 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. 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.”
Shafik has been accused by Jewish college students of permitting anti-Israel radicals to run amok on her campus with little intervention or self-discipline. In Could, Home Speaker Mike Johnson demanded that Shafik resign if she could not stand as much as the agitators, calling her management “very weak” and “inept.”
As for her future plans, Shafik wrote that she has been requested by the U.Okay.’s Overseas Secretary to chair a evaluate of the federal government’s method “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 reads.
She served as president of the Ivy League college for one 12 months earlier than stepping down.
