Columbia University interim president resigns amid campus turmoil

“Board of Trustees Co-Chair Claire Shipman has been appointed Acting President, effective immediately, and will serve until the Board completes its presidential search,” Columbia said in a statement, as reported by AP.

The university has been at the centre of controversy since protests erupted on campus in the summer of 2024, with students demanding an end to Israel’s military actions in Gaza and urging the university to cut financial ties with companies linked to Israel.

The administration of President Donald Trump revoked $400 million in federal funding for Columbia, claiming the university failed to take adequate measures against antisemitism and to ensure student safety. Columbia recently agreed to implement changes requested by the Trump administration, a decision that sparked backlash from rights advocates, who accused the government of suppressing free speech.

In an earlier campus-wide email, Armstrong had emphasised her commitment to maintaining the university’s academic mission while ensuring “uninterrupted academic activities” and making sure that every student, faculty member, and staff felt “safe and welcome on our campus.”

The US Secretary of Education has pulled federal funding from Columbia University, citing “relentless violence, intimidation, and antisemitic harassment” that university authorities allegedly ignored. This decision comes after the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate and campus activist, who was detained by federal immigration authorities earlier this month.

Khalil, a legal permanent US resident, faces deportation for his role in the 2024 campus protests, with Trump alleging that Khalil and other pro-Palestinian activists support Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the US.

However, Khalil’s lawyers argue that he was exercising his free speech rights to demonstrate in support of Palestinians in Gaza and against US support for Israel, accusing the government of “open repression of student activism and political speech”.

(with inputs from BBC)