Current:Home > MarketsThe president of Columbia University has resigned, effective immediately-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
The president of Columbia University has resigned, effective immediately
lotradecoin trading View Date:2024-12-26 02:29:44
NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned effective immediately, the head of the prestigious New York university announced in a message to the university community on Wednesday.
Columbia’s upper Manhattan campus was at the center of a protest movement connected to the Israel-Hamas war that swept college campuses nationwide with thousands arrested and end-of-year graduation ceremonies disrupted. In her statement, she acknowledged those protests factored into her decision.
“This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in the community,” Shafik wrote. “Over the summer, I have been able to reflect and have decided that my moving on at this point would best enable Columbia to traverse the challenges ahead.”
In addition to the protests, the school in July removed three deans, who have since resigned, after officials said they exchanged disparaging texts during a campus discussion about Jewish life and antisemitism. Shafik said in a July 8 letter to the school community that the messages were unprofessional and “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.”
Shafik said in her letter that she will return to the United Kingdom to lead an effort by the foreign secretary’s office reviewing the government’s approach to international development and how to improve capability.
“I am very pleased and appreciative that this will afford me the opportunity to return to work on fighting global poverty and promoting sustainable development, areas of lifelong interest to me,” she wrote. “It also enables me to return to the House of Lords to reengage with the important legislative agenda put forth by the new UK government.”
Shafik was named president of the university last year and was the first woman to take on the role, and she was one of several women newly appointed to take the reins at Ivy League institutions.
She had previously led the London School of Economics and before that worked at the World Bank, where she rose through the ranks to become the bank’s youngest-ever vice president.
Shafik also worked at the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, followed by stints at the International Monetary Fund and the Bank of England.
She earned her master’s degree at the London School of Economics and earned a doctorate at Oxford University.
At the time of Shafik’s appointment, Columbia Board of Trustees chair Jonathan Lavine described her as a leader who deeply understood “the academy and the world beyond it.”
“What set Minouche apart as a candidate,” Lavine had said in a statement, “is her unshakable confidence in the vital role institutions of higher education can and must play in solving the world’s most complex problems.”
veryGood! (21)
Related
- State, local officials failed 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl who died after abuse, lawsuits say
- Biden pardons LGBTQ+ service members convicted for sexual orientation
- Knicks continue to go all-in as they reach $212 million deal with OG Anunoby
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Spare Change
- Clint Eastwood's Son Scott Shares How Family Is Doing After Death of Christina Sandera
- US economic growth for last quarter is revised up slightly to a 1.4% annual rate
- A Good Girl's Guide to Murder's Chilling Trailer Is Your Booktok Obsession Come to Life
- Snapchill canned coffee, sold across U.S., recalled due to botulism concerns
- What Conservation Coalitions Have Learned from an Aspen Tree
- Electric vehicle prices are tumbling. Here's how they now compare with gas-powered cars.
Ranking
- State, local officials failed 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl who died after abuse, lawsuits say
- Country music legend Willie Nelson cancels tour performances
- She crashed and got a DUI. Now this California lawmaker is on a mission to talk about booze
- Kourtney Kardashian Details How She Keeps Her “Vagina Intact” After Giving Birth
- Wally Amos, 88, of cookie fame, died at home in Hawaii. He lost Famous Amos but found other success
- Knicks continue to go all-in as they reach $212 million deal with OG Anunoby
- A Good Girl's Guide to Murder's Chilling Trailer Is Your Booktok Obsession Come to Life
- 'The Bear' Season 3 is chewy, delicious and overindulgent: Review
Recommendation
-
A teen was falling asleep during a courtroom field trip. She ended up in cuffs and jail clothes
-
Infant mortality rate rose 8% in wake of Texas abortion ban, study shows
-
IRS apologizes to billionaire Ken Griffin for leaking his tax records
-
North Carolina legislators consider vetoes, constitution changes as work session winds down
-
Charlie Sheen’s Daughter Sami Sheen Undergoes Plastic Surgery for Droopy Nose
-
Wisconsin Supreme Court seeks investigation after abortion draft order leaks
-
Kenya Moore is not returning to 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' following suspension: Reports
-
Kansas City Chiefs join forces with Hallmark for Christmas rom-com 'Holiday Touchdown'