Columbia College president Katrina Armstrong resigns amid tensions with Trump over campus protests

For the previous few weeks, Columbia College has been making headlines. Within the newest improvement, the college’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, is stepping down amid a high-profile dispute with the Trump administration. In a letter to workers on Friday, Armstrong introduced her resignation, stating she needed to make means for her successor, Claire Shipman. She expressed gratitude for the chance to “navigate this huge enterprise by among the most troublesome moments in its historical past.” In accordance with a press release from the college, Armstrong will return to guide Columbia’s Irving Medical Heart, as reported by Day by day Mail.
Lately, Columbia College agreed to adjust to President Trump’s calls for for coverage adjustments after he threatened to chop $400 million in grants. The calls for centered on the college’s dealing with of widespread campus protests over Israel’s struggle with Hamas, which the administration deemed insufficient.
In her resignation letter, Armstrong introduced that the college would instantly appoint a senior vice provost to conduct a complete evaluation of its regional research applications, starting with the Center East. Columbia may also reform its longstanding disciplinary procedures and prohibit protests inside educational buildings. Moreover, college students will not be allowed to put on face masks on campus to hide their identities, aside from well being causes, Day by day Mail reported.
The protests at Columbia have additionally led to the detention of pupil Mahmoud Khalil. Khalil, a Palestinian graduate pupil at Columbia’s College of Worldwide and Public Affairs, was arrested by US immigration brokers at his college residence on March 8. A US everlasting resident (inexperienced card holder), Khalil was actively concerned in pro-Palestinian protests. In accordance with Reuters, his arrest is a part of former President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on anti-Israel activists—a transfer that has confronted sharp criticism from civil rights organizations.