Columbia University faces ‘pretty difficult predicament’ amid student arrests
Interim Columbia University President Katrina Armstrong has stepped down amidst a clash with the Trump administration over federal funding.
“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 J. Greenwald, chair of the board of trustees, in a news release late Friday. “Katrina has always given her heart and soul to Columbia. We appreciate her service and look forward to her continued contributions to the University.”
Fox News also confirmed that board of trustees co-chair Claire Shipman has been appointed as the acting university president until the board completes its presidential search. Shipman has been on the board since 2013.
Armstrong is expected to return to lead the university’s Irving Medical Center, Fox News also learned.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY YIELDS TO TRUMP ADMIN DEMANDS OVER REVOKED $400M IN FEDERAL FUNDING
Anti-Israel student protesters gather inside their encampment on the Columbia University campus, April 29, 2024, in New York City. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
“Now is not the time for Columbia University to regress as it works to combat the rampant antisemitism plaguing the school. So far Columbia has largely failed to uphold its commitment to Jewish students and faculty – leaving them to face harassment, intimidation, and even assault,” Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg, R-Mich., said in a statement.
“Thankfully, the Trump administration is ushering in an era of common sense, and this Committee is working diligently alongside it to continue the momentum we’ve created in addressing antisemitism,” Walberg said. “But the school and its administrators must put in the work to combat this evil. Ms. Shipman, while we wish you all good success, we will be watching closely.”
The Trump administration recently pulled $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University with the imperative that Armstrong make substantial changes on campus.
The proposed agreement, summarized in a letter shared by Armstrong, “outlines the substantive work” that Columbia has undertaken since last August when former President Minouche Shafik stepped down.
“The way Columbia and Columbians have been portrayed is hard to reckon with. We have challenges, yes, but they do not define us. We teach the brightest, most creative students in the world, and we care deeply for each and every one of them. I have every faith in our ability to overcome the greatest of challenges. We stand resilient and brilliant,” Armstrong wrote.
HAWLEY BLASTS ‘INSANE’ LIBERAL ATTORNEY DURING SENATE HEARING ON CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM
Columbia University’s Gaza encampment, left, and President Trump. (Getty Images)
Columbia agreed to demands from the administration to ban masks for the purpose of concealing identity on campus as well as appoint a senior vice provost to oversee the school’s Department of the Middle East, South Asian and African Studies, as well as the Center for Palestine Studies.
After much violence on campus, Columbia must also hire 36 new campus police officers with the ability to arrest students.
Per the Trump administration, these agreements are merely a “precondition for formal negotiations regarding Columbia University’s continued financial relationship with the United States government.”
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT RESIGNS AFTER MONTHS OF MOUNTING PRESSURE OVER ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS
Columbia was at the heart of 2024’s anti-Israel campus protests, with NYPD officers ultimately breaking up a barricade at Hamilton Hall in a highly publicized raid.
In a letter called “Fulfilling our Commitments” released earlier this week, Katrina Armstrong clarified that “demonstrations and other protest activities that occur inside academic buildings and places where academic activities take place present a direct impediment to maintaining our core academic mission.”
A student looks at damage to the windows of a door at Hamilton Hall at Columbia University, April 30, 2024, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“Based upon the experience of peer schools, Columbia is clarifying that such protests in academic buildings, and other places necessary for the conduct of University activities, are generally not acceptable under the Rules of University Conduct because of the likelihood of disrupting academic activities.”
Current acting president Claire Shipman has written four New York Times bestselling books, including The Confidence Code, The Confidence Code for Girls, Living the Confidence Code and Womenomics.
Shipman has a new book coming out in June focused on women and power, titled “The Power Code.”
Armstrong stepped in after former Columbia president Minouche Shafik resigned in August amid claims of institutional antisemitism.
At the time, House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “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.”
