More turmoil at Columbia University, as interim president abruptly resigns.
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Katrina A. Armstrong, the interim president of Columbia University, abruptly resigned on Friday, just one week after the university agreed to meet most of the policy changes the Trump administration had demanded in an ongoing dispute about how the institution had responded to campus protests and allegations of antisemitism.
In a message announcing her decision to return to her former position as the CEO of Columbia’s Irving Medical Center, Armstrong said, “It has been a singular honor to lead Columbia University in this important and challenging time. This is one of the world’s great universities, in its most vital city, and I am proud to have worked with extraordinary faculty, students, and alumni. But my heart is with science, and my passion is with healing. That is where I can best serve this University and our community moving forward.”
She made no mention of the highly publicized pressure the Trump administration had applied to Columbia, nor her role in trying to bring the struggle to a close.
Claire Shipman, the current Co-Chair of Columbia’s Board of Trustees, was appointed as the Acting President, effective immediately. She will serve until a permanent appointment is made.
Armstrong had agreed to become interim president last August after former president Minouche Shafik, stepped down in the wake of intense criticism for her handling of campus protests over Israel’s war with Hamas.
In a document released released last week, the university had outlined the steps it would take in order to comply with a March 13 letter from the Trump administration detailing nine conditions for its continuing to receive federal funding, including the restoration of $4oo million that had been canceled over charges of antisemitism.
Those concessions touched on several areas, including admissions, academic organization and oversight, student disciplinary procedures, faculty search processes, campus safety, and definitions of antisemitism.
While Columbia had apparently considered fighting the demands in court, it ultimately concluded, according to the Wall Street Journal, that the federal government had so many mechanisms available to pull back the funding that a legal challenge would be too difficult.
Columbia’s acquiescence was viewed by many in higher education as setting a dangerous precedent, raising the likelihood that the administration would make similar demands of more universities, which have increasingly found themselves with few allies coming to their defense against the escalating attacks from President Trump and his administration.
As Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber recently wrote,“nobody should suppose that this will stop at Columbia or with the specific academic programs targeted by the government’s letter. Precisely because great research universities are centers of independent, creative thought, they generate arguments and ideas that challenge political power across fields as varied as international relations, biology, economics, and history.”
“If government officials think that stifling such criticism is politically acceptable and legally permissible, some people in authority will inevitably yield to the temptation to do so,” Eisgruber added.
Like Armstrong, Columbia offered no explanation for the leadership shuffle.
“Dr. Armstrong accepted the role of interim president at a time of great uncertainty for the University and worked tirelessly to promote the interests of our community,” said David Greenwald, chair of the Board of Trustees, in a statement.
Shipman said, “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. Columbia’s new permanent president, when that individual is selected, will conduct an appropriate review of the University’s leadership team and structure to ensure we are best positioned for the future.”
Shipman has been on Columbia’s Board since 2013, and she’s served as Board Co-Chair since 2023. She holds a graduate degree in international affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Studies from Columbia College. She was the former senior national correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America.
