Cnn
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The acting president of Columbia University resigns, announced that the school announced on Friday a week after announcing changes in sweeping policy – apparently bowing to the requests of the Trump administration conditioned on federal funding.
Dr. Katrina Armstrong took the lead from one of the elite universities in the country under pressure last year for its policies and its management of campus demonstrations, which increased only under the Trump administration. She was appointed interim president in August the same day, former President Minouche Shafik, faced with a meticulous examination for her manipulation of Columbia Campus Protestant campus against the war between Israel and Hamas, resigned.
The University of Columbia recently announced a series of new policies, making apparent concessions after the dismissal of President Donald Trump of $ 400 million in federal funding on campus demonstrations. They include new restrictions on demonstrations, sanctions against groups of violation students, giving the new powers of arrest of the campus police and making more authority to deal with disciplinary procedures and immediately examining their Middle East study program, among others.
“Dr. Armstrong accepted the role of acting president at a time of great uncertainty for the university and worked tirelessly to promote the interests of our community,” said David J. Greenwald, chairman of the board of directors.
Claire Shipman, co -chair of the board of directors of Columbia, was appointed acting president until the board of directors could carry out presidential research, said a university statement.
Shipman has been on the board of directors since 2013. She is a journalist and author who holds a graduate diploma in Columbia, said the school.
In a statement to the community, Armstrong wrote: “In the past few months, I appreciate having had the opportunity to play a small role in navigation in this vast business through some of the most difficult moments in its history.”
Before being an interim president, Armstrong, doctor of medicine, was executive vice-president of the Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences of Columbia and Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Campus. She is now coming back to direct the Irving Medical Center of the University, according to the press release.
When CNN contacted Columbia University to comment, a spokesperson shared the online statement from the University.
The president of the Chamber’s Education Committee and the Workman, the Republican representative Tim Walberg of Michigan, wished Shipman “good success” in her new role, but warned: “We are going to look”.
“This is not the time for Columbia University to regress because it works to fight against crawling anti -Semitism that rages at school. So far, Columbia has not succeeded in maintaining its commitment to Jewish students and teachers – leaving them to face harassment, intimidation, and even attacks,” said Walberg, whose committee asked the school of disciplinary files students, in a declaration.
Three federal agencies said they had welcomed Columbia policy changes announced last week, apparently pointing out the first stages of a possible restoration of money to the institution.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services, of the Ministry of Education and General Services Administration called Columbia makes a “positive first step”.
In a report by Armstrong when the policy changes were announced last week, she said: “We worked hard to respond to the legitimate concerns raised inside and outside our Columbia community, including by our regulators, with regard to discrimination, harassment and anti -Semitic acts that our Jewish community was confronted after October 7. 2023. ”.
Under changes, manifestations are actually prohibited inside and immediately outside the university buildings, and all demonstration activities are subject to anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.
Unions representing professors and other educators continued the Trump administration this week for its revocation of $ 400 million in federal federal research authorized in Columbia. The trial accuses the administration of taking advantage of the funds to force the restrictions of speech on the campus and of forcing the school to make its academic independence.
Armstrong encountered members of the faculty over the weekend to insist on supporting policy changes, the Wall Street Journal reported. During the meeting, Armstrong told faculty leaders six federal agencies investigating the school and could obtain support, which would be “potentially devastating for our students in particular”, according to a transcription examined by the Wall Street Journal.
She faced a decline at the meeting of the teachers concerned, said the newspaper.
While Columbia is captured in the Trump administration’s reticle focusing on campus demonstrations and repressing immigration, many questions remain on how the changes announced will take shape as students will return with less than two months of the school year and tensions to escape Gaza.
It was the first college to see its funding reduced as part of President Donald Trump’s threats to reduce federal money to colleges accused of tolerating anti-Semitism in the midst of the War of Israel-Hamas which began in October 2023. The school said on several occasions that it would not tolerate anti-Semitism.
The last academic year has seen generalized campus disorders, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations and camps, counterpottes, control, arrests and graduation ceremonies on scale while Columbia has become the epicenter of national demonstrations.
This story has been updated with additional information.