Columbia Board Stands Behind Embattled President

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The Columbia University Board of Trustees is standing behind embattled President Minouche Shafik, lauding her response to the anti-Israel protests that have roiled the campus in recent days, shortly after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called for her resignation.

“The Columbia University Board of Trustees strongly supports President Shafik as she steers the university through this extraordinarily challenging time,” the board said in a statement late Wednesday.

“During the search process for this role, President Shafik told us that she would always take a thoughtful approach to resolving conflict, balancing the disparate voices that make up a vibrant campus like Columbia’s, while taking a firm stance against hatred, harassment and discrimination,” the statement continued. “That’s exactly what she’s doing now.”

Shafik, who accepted her position in July, is facing growing calls to step down from congressional lawmakers. On Wednesday, a House Republican delegation visited with Jewish students and held a press conference condemning the antisemitism and protests on Columbia’s campus.

The school has had to move classes online for the remainder of the semester due to student safety concerns, and hundreds have been arrested in protests at both Columbia and New York University.

“I’m here today joining my colleagues and calling on President Shafik to resign if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos,” Johnson said Wednesday on the steps of the Low Memorial Library.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said Shafik “cannot and will not hold students who are doing these types of antisemitic activities accountable.” She also cannot keep Jewish students safe, the New York Republican said.

“That is why I join my colleagues in calling for her resignation,” Malliotakis said.

Shafik initially set a deadline for the protesters of midnight on Tuesday to agree to a plan to dismantle the sprawling encampment on the school’s West Lawn, but pushed it back to Friday after students agreed to break down some of the tents and boot outsiders.

“We are urgently working with her to help resolve the situation on campus and rebuild the bonds of our community; we encourage everyone who cares about Columbia to join us in that effort,” the board said.

The Columbia board’s show of solidarity calls to mind similar statements the Harvard Corporation made in December in support of then-President Claudine Gay.

Despite the backing of the Harvard board, Gay resigned on Jan. 2 amid a firestorm of criticism over her handling of antisemitism on campus and plagiarism allegations.