Seven months after taking office as president of Columbia University, Katherine Armstrong announced her resignation.
Armstrong took on the role of interim president of Columbia University last August, after the previous president, Minouche Shafik, resigned following allegations of her mishandling of anti-Semitism on campus.
The resignation of the interim president comes just days after Armstrong announced that she decided to adopt the Trump administration's demands regarding the fight against anti-Semitism at Columbia University. The American government revoked grants totaling $400 million from the university after Columbia's administration failed to protect Jewish students who suffered from violence, intimidation, and discrimination since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.
Armstrong herself said last week that "we have worked hard to address the legitimate concerns raised both from within and outside our Columbia community, including by our regulators, regarding discrimination, harassment, and the anti-Semitic acts that our Jewish community has faced following October 7, 2023."
The Columbia leadership stated in a statement on Friday that Armstrong will return to her previous role leading the Columbia Medical Center. She will be replaced by the chair of the Board of Trustees, Claire Shipman, who will serve as acting president. Shipman herself has already issued a statement committing to continue the changes that Armstrong pledged to promote the safety of Jewish students.
"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