International Courant
Shafik was criticized for her dealing with of the protests that occurred on the college campus earlier this yr.
Columbia College President Minouche Shafik has introduced her resignation after a tumultuous yr of tensions with employees and college students over her dealing with of campus protests towards the struggle in Gaza.
The college introduced her departure in a press release on its web site on Wednesday.
“This era has taken a big toll on my household, in addition to others in our neighborhood,” Shafik wrote in a letter to the college’s employees and college students. “It has additionally been a time of unrest and it has been tough to beat differing opinions in our neighborhood.”
David Greenberg and Claire Shipman, co-chairs of the college’s board of trustees, mentioned they understood and revered her determination.
In April, protests towards the struggle in Gaza started on Columbia’s campus in New York Metropolis, resulting in related protests at different establishments in the USA and overseas.
As protests intensified, Shafik was summoned earlier than a congressional committee, accusing the college of failing to guard college students and employees from rising anti-Semitism.
The subsequent day, she allowed New York Metropolis police onto campus to interrupt up the protests, and about 100 individuals had been arrested, angering protesters and a few teachers and prompting requires her resignation. Tensions rose additional in late April, when police returned to campus once more, arresting about 300 individuals and clearing the camp.
“Over the summer time, I’ve had time to replicate and have determined that my departure at this level would greatest place Columbia to deal with the challenges forward,” Shafik mentioned. “I’m making this announcement now in order that new management may be put in place earlier than the brand new time period begins.”
Shafik’s resignation was welcomed by some protesters, but in addition by those that accused her of permitting anti-Semitism to flourish.
The trustees mentioned Katrina Armstrong would function interim president of Columbia. She is at present the CEO of Columbia College Irving Medical Heart.
The brand new faculty yr begins on September 3.
Almost 40,000 individuals have been killed since Israel launched its struggle in Gaza after Hamas fighters launched a shock assault on Israel on October 7 final yr, killing no less than 1,139 individuals and capturing about 240.
The struggle in Gaza has left a lot of the Palestinian territory in ruins and displaced most of its inhabitants.
South Africa accuses Israel of genocide in a case at present beneath investigation by the Worldwide Court docket of Justice.
Minouche Shafik resigns as Colombian president after Gaza struggle protests | Information concerning the Israeli-Palestinian battle
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