Shafik had previously served as director of the London School of Economics and Political Science. She replaced Lee Bollinger, a First Amendment scholar, who was Columbia’s President for two decades. Shafik was born in Egypt.
Shafik’s farewell statement said:
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
Her statement reaffirmed Columbia’s commitment to free speech:
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.
In response, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine posted: “After months of chanting ‘Minouche Shafik you can’t hide’ she finally got the memo.To be clear, any future president who does not pay heed to the Columbia student body’s overwhelming demand for divestment will end up exactly as President Shafik did.”
In April 2024, Palestinian students filed a complaint with the U.S.. Department of Education alleging discrimination based upon their ethnicity.
Columbia has not yet announced its fundraising totals for 2023-24, but speculation is that a less than stellar donor response to the Gaza demonstrations on campus may have contributed to Shafik’s decision to step down. Stafik drew criticism for not cracking down early on a campus outdoor encampment and for calling in police when the demonstrators occupied Hamilton Hall.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) visited Shafik with a delegation of congress members who demanded her resignation for failing to protect Jewish students sufficiently.
In terms of New York State, when the legislature adopted the budget in April in the midst of the protests, it cut NY Bundy Aid for all private colleges with endowments of over $750 million – thereby targeting Columbia, Cornell and New York University.
Columbia has named Katrina Armstrong interim president. She is CEO of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and leads Columbia’s health and biomedical sciences campus. Columbia and Cornell jointly operate Manhattan-based teaching hospitals.
Columbia has closed its campus to the public and requires valid ID cards to enter, in anticipation of a possible further encampment this fall.
Shafik will now advise the UK government on international development.
