WASHINGTON: Columbia University’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, has stepped down one week after it agreed to significant changes amid a heated battle with the Trump administration over its federal funding.
The government this month canceled $400 million in funding for Columbia and threatened to withhold billions more, accusing the university of not doing enough to combat antisemitism and ensure student safety amid last year’s Gaza encampment campus protests.
Columbia made dramatic concessions last week so that it can negotiate to regain the funding, drawing harsh criticism that it had quickly caved to government pressure and not stood firm on academic freedom and free speech.
Board of Trustees Co-Chair Claire Shipman was appointed acting president with immediate effect, while the board searches for a new president. The university did not give a reason for the change.
“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 in a statement.
Groups representing Columbia University professors on Tuesday sued Trump’s administration over its effort to force the university to tighten rules on campus protests and put a Middle Eastern studies department under outside oversight, among other measures.–Reuters
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