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Columbia University’s interim president Katrina Armstrong will step down from her existing function and go back to lead the university’s medical center, the school’s board of trustees revealed Friday.
” Dr. Armstrong accepted the function of interim president at a time of fantastic unpredictability for the University and worked relentlessly to promote the interests of our neighborhood,” David J. Greenwald, chair of the Columbia Board of Trustees, composed in a declaration. “Katrina has actually constantly offered her body and soul to Columbia. We value her service and anticipate her ongoing contributions to the University.”.
Armstrong’s exit comes at a turbulent time for the university.
Recently, Columbia accepted execute a series of sweeping modifications to recover prospective access to $400 million in federal moneying the Trump administration is threatening to keep over accusations the school hasn’t done enough to fight antisemitism amidst pro-Gaza demonstrations.
The modifications consist of developing a brand-new school police, partly prohibiting face masks, and getting rid of professors control over the department of Middle East, South Asian and African Research Studies.
Academics within and outside the university extensively condemned the relocation as an extraordinary capitulation to outdoors impact.
In addition to the financing danger, Columbia has actually likewise been at the center of the administration’s crackdown on non-citizen trainee activists who participated in the 2023 and 2024 school pro-Palestine demonstrations amidst the Israel-Hamas war.
The very first extensively reported migration arrest of the project was that of green card-holder Mahmoud Khalil, a current Columbia graduate and trainee activist who was at first apprehended at a university-owned apartment previously this month. He is challenging his detention in court, declaring he is being penalized for exercising his constitutionally secured complimentary speech rights.
Board of Trustees co-chair Claire Shipman, a reporter and Columbia alum, has actually been designated acting president as the school continues a management search.
Armstrong is the 2nd individual to leave the leading task at Columbia in the period of 12 months.
Minouche Shafik, a financial expert and previous World Bank authorities, resigned in 2024, following a period that consisted of massive school demonstrations including an encampment and trainees inhabiting a university structure, in addition to allegations of enduring antisemitism.
Shafik came in for criticism from some trainees for enabling several massive authorities operations versus protesters on school, the very first because Vietnam War demonstrations.