Columbia University president Minouche Shafik is stepping down after protests over the war in Gaza roiled the university community and spread to campuses nationwide, and in Europe, last spring.
“This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community,” Shafik said in a letter announcing her resignation Wednesday. “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.”
Shafik has faced pressure to resign for months. Both those who supported the spring protests and those who opposed them have criticized how Shafik handled the demonstrations, as did a number of right-wing politicians, who claimed the president failed to do enough to protect Jewish students. House Speaker Mike Johnson called her resignation “long overdue” on Wednesday.
Not all of the spring protests — which largely…