For the past few weeks, Columbia University has been making headlines. In the latest development, the university’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, is stepping down amid a high-profile dispute with the Trump administration. In a letter to staff on Friday, Armstrong announced her resignation, stating she wanted to make way for her successor, Claire Shipman. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to “navigate this vast enterprise through some of the most difficult moments in its history.” According to a statement from the university, Armstrong will return to lead Columbia’s Irving Medical Center, as reported by Daily Mail.
Recently, Columbia University agreed to comply with President Trump’s demands for policy changes after he threatened to cut $400 million in grants. The demands focused on the university’s handling of widespread campus protests over Israel’s war with Hamas, which the administration deemed inadequate.
In her resignation letter, Armstrong announced that the university would immediately appoint a senior vice provost to conduct a comprehensive review of its regional studies programs, beginning with the Middle East. Columbia will also reform its longstanding disciplinary procedures and prohibit protests inside academic buildings. Additionally, students will no longer be allowed to wear face masks on campus to conceal their identities, except for health reasons, Daily Mail reported.
The protests at Columbia have also led to the detention of student Mahmoud Khalil. Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, was arrested by US immigration agents at his university residence on March 8. A US permanent resident (green card holder), Khalil was actively involved in pro-Palestinian protests. According to Reuters, his arrest is part of former President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on anti-Israel activists—a move that has faced sharp criticism from civil rights organizations.
