The interim president of Columbia University suddenly left her post Friday evening as the school faced a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding and the Trump administration's skepticism about its leadership.
The move comes a week after Colombia succumbed to a string of federal demands. The federal government has cancelled its extremely important federal funds and gave way to Colombia's third leader since August. Claire Shipman, co-chaired the university's board of trustees, was appointed acting president and replaced Dr. Katrina Armstrong.
The university, deeply shaken by the accusations that it had become a spring-spring protest camp and a safe shelter for anti-Semitism, announced a change in email leadership to campus on Friday night. The letter thanked Dr. Armstrong for his efforts during “an era of great uncertainty for the university,” and said Shipman “a clear understanding of the serious challenges facing our community.”
Less than a week later, the Trump administration had shown they were happy with the steps she was taking to restore funds. However, in a statement Friday, the Joint Task Force on Fighting Anti-Semitism said that Dr. Armstrong's withdrawal from the presidency was a “critical step in moving forward with negotiations” between the government and the university.
The statement included a mysterious reference to this week's “revelation on revelation.” This appears to refer to Dr. Armstrong's comments at the faculty meeting last weekend. According to the faculty members present, Dr. Armstrong and her Provost, Angela Orint, confused some people when they appeared to be underestimating the impact of the university's government agreement. Two people familiar with the situation said the transcript of the conference had been leaked to the news media and the Trump administration.
A two-time journalist from Columbia, Shipman is responsible for one of the nation's outstanding universities at a very recharged moment in American higher education.
The federal government is threatening to end the billion-dollar flow to universities across the country. Many of them face inquiries from agencies ranging from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health and Human Services.
But the Trump administration's punitive approach to universities is being developed most sharply in Columbia. The University, the hub of protests on campus last spring, was the hub of protests against the war in Gaza, facing accusations from one side, tolerating anti-Semitic behavior, allowing them to rule lawlessness, and suppressing academic and political speeches on the other side.
This month, the government's move to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in support for Colombia — which earned about a fifth of its operating revenue from Washington — represents a disastrous threat to the university. The government told Colombia it would consider resuming these grants and contracts only after the university agrees to the list of requests.
Last week, Columbia fell to Dr. Armstrong to announce that.
Among other phases, Columbia said it has 36 campus safety officers with the right to arrest. This is a major resonant shift at universities with a long history of campus activism and links to law enforcement. The university also adopted a formal definition of anti-Semitism, reviewing admission policies and in a particularly surprising turn, imposing new oversight for the university's research departments in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.
University officials said they had already considered some of the government's demands, but Columbia's acquiescence sparked major condemnation on campus and beyond. Other higher education leaders looked nervously, fearing that the university's decision would induce government to target other universities without reinforcing the court's challenge that many felt it stood at a reasonable opportunity for success.
Two days before Columbia announced its decision, the government said it would withhold about $175 million in funding from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022 as it allowed trans women to become members of the women's swimming team.
Dr. Armstrong's departure from presidency was as sudden as her ascension last summer. Then, shortly before classes began, Nemat Shafik resigned from his office, ending his 13-month tenure that led to global criticism of Colombia.
“Dr. Armstrong embraced the role of the interim president during a period of great uncertainty for the university and made tireless efforts to promote the interests of our community,” Council Chairman David J. Greenwald said in a statement Friday. The university said Dr. Armstrong will remain in Columbia as head of the university's medical center.
In an email to a colleague on Friday evening, Dr. Armstrong said: “It was a unique honor to be able to lead Columbia University during this important and challenging time.”
“My heart lies in science, my passion is in healing,” she added. “That's the perfect place for me to move this university and our community forward.”
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that Dr. Armstrong would be leaving the President of Columbia.
Less than a week later, Trump administration's Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, suggested she was happy with Dr. Armstrong's job.
“She knew this was her responsibility to make sure the children on her campus were safe,” McMahon told CNN last weekend. “She wanted to make sure there was no discrimination of any kind. She wanted to address the systemic issues identified in relation to anti-Semitism on campus. And they worked very hard in a very short period of time.”
McMahon said Colombia is “on the right track to help us move forward,” but she has led the government to revive a diverse funding agreement with Colombia.
However, government concerns about Dr. Armstrong's commitment were apparent by Tuesday, prompting her to release an open letter reaffirming her seriousness.
“The suggestion that these measures are fantastical or lacking my personal support is clearly wrong,” she wrote to the Columbia community.
Brent R. Stockwell, chairman of Columbia's Department of Biological Sciences, said despite criticism from several quarters this week, Dr. Armstrong maintained support for those who felt that regaining federal funds from the university was paramount.
“She had quite a bit of support,” Professor Stockwell said.
He couldn't speak for everyone, but many of the school's research community are willing to give up on the dream that Columbia can improve the world and American lives through research. That's what we're trying to achieve, and that requires federal funding.
Michigan Republican Tim Wahlberg, and the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, which is seeking student discipline records from Columbia, said schools must “double their efforts to overcome their failure to maintain their commitment to Jews and teachers.”
Representative Wahlberg also signaled the new interim president not to receive his honeymoon. “We wish you all the success, Shipman, but we will look closely,” President Wahlberg said.
Adarsh ​​Patchouli, a Colombian engineering graduate student, said the sudden change in university leadership left her “unpleasant and worried.”
“This resignation is frustrating along with withdrawal of funding, deportation and general involvement in government involvement,” said Patchouli, who was walking along campus Friday night. “The Colombian administration is beginning to appear to simply fall into the demands of the US government, rather than supporting the beliefs and values ​​promised in Colombia.”
Anvee Bhutani Reports of contributions.
