Columbia University’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, has resigned as the university struggles under pressure from the Trump administration stripping its federal funding.
Armstrong is the second president to vacate the role at the university in seven months. Columbia has been rocked by backlash to its handling of pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protests that erupted on campus.
“Dr. Armstrong accepted the role of interim president at a time of great uncertainty for the University and worked tirelessly to promote the interests of our community,” said David Greenwald, chair of the board of trustees. “Katrina has always given her heart and soul to Columbia. We appreciate her service and look forward to her continued contributions to the University.”
Armstrong will return to lead the school’s Irving Medical Center, Columbia said in a statement. Claire Shipman, the co-chair of the board of trustees, will take over as the university’s interim president.
“I assume this role with a clear understanding of the serious challenges before us and a steadfast commitment to act with urgency, integrity, and work with our faculty to advance our mission, implement needed reforms, protect our students, and uphold academic freedom and open inquiry,” Shipman said. “Columbia’s new permanent president, when that individual is selected, will conduct an appropriate review of the University’s leadership team and structure to ensure we are best positioned for the future.”
The Trump administration has stripped $400 million in taxpayer funding from Columbia. The university had received more than $1 billion in federal funds annually before the Trump administration crackdown over its protest policies.
The university last week agreed to make significant changes to its protest policies and security practices. The school made the concessions without securing any pledge from the Trump administration to restore the hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds that have been cut off.
Armstrong has received blowback on campus from the agreement, according to The Wall Street Journal. In the days ahead of her resignation announcement, she met with faculty and staff who thought the university had given up too much in the agreement.
The battle between the Trump administration and Columbia University has been over what the federal government has said is a double standard by the university to enable its pro-Palestinian students while allowing a hostile environment to threaten its Jewish students.
The Trump administration’s anti-Semitism taskforce said in a statement after Armstrong’s resignation: “The action taken by Columbia’s trustees today, especially in light of this week’s concerning revelation, is an important step toward advancing negotiations as set forth in the pre-conditional understanding reached last Friday between the University and the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism,” according to WSJ.
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Columbia University’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, has resigned as the university struggles under pressure from the Trump administration stripping its federal funding.
Armstrong is the second president to vacate the role at the university in seven months. Columbia has been rocked by backlash to its handling of pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protests that erupted on campus.
“Dr. Armstrong accepted the role of interim president at a time of great uncertainty for the University and worked tirelessly to promote the interests of our community,” said David Greenwald, chair of the board of trustees. “Katrina has always given her heart and soul to Columbia. We appreciate her service and look forward to her continued contributions to the University.”
Armstrong will return to lead the school’s Irving Medical Center, Columbia said in a statement. Claire Shipman, the co-chair of the board of trustees, will take over as the university’s interim president.
“I assume this role with a clear understanding of the serious challenges before us and a steadfast commitment to act with urgency, integrity, and work with our faculty to advance our mission, implement needed reforms, protect our students, and uphold academic freedom and open inquiry,” Shipman said. “Columbia’s new permanent president, when that individual is selected, will conduct an appropriate review of the University’s leadership team and structure to ensure we are best positioned for the future.”
The Trump administration has stripped $400 million in taxpayer funding from Columbia. The university had received more than $1 billion in federal funds annually before the Trump administration crackdown over its protest policies.
The university last week agreed to make significant changes to its protest policies and security practices. The school made the concessions without securing any pledge from the Trump administration to restore the hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds that have been cut off.
Armstrong has received blowback on campus from the agreement, according to The Wall Street Journal. In the days ahead of her resignation announcement, she met with faculty and staff who thought the university had given up too much in the agreement.
The battle between the Trump administration and Columbia University has been over what the federal government has said is a double standard by the university to enable its pro-Palestinian students while allowing a hostile environment to threaten its Jewish students.
The Trump administration’s anti-Semitism taskforce said in a statement after Armstrong’s resignation: “The action taken by Columbia’s trustees today, especially in light of this week’s concerning revelation, is an important step toward advancing negotiations as set forth in the pre-conditional understanding reached last Friday between the University and the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism,” according to WSJ.
“}]]
