Columbia University interim president Katrina Armstrong steps aside

The departure comes after the Trump admin. canceled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia.

 People walk through Columbia University in New York City, U.S., September 4, 2024. (photo credit: Reuters/Adam Gray)
People walk through Columbia University in New York City, U.S., September 4, 2024.
(photo credit: Reuters/Adam Gray)

Columbia University’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, has stepped down, the school said, at a time when the New York-based institution is facing intense pressure from both the government and rights advocates over its response to pro-Palestinian protests.

Armstrong is returning to lead the university’s Irving Medical Center, Columbia announced on Friday. It did not give a reason for the change.

“Board of Trustees Co-Chair Claire Shipman has been appointed acting president, effective immediately, and will serve until the board completes its presidential search,” it said.

US President Donald Trump’s administration canceled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia, saying the university did not do enough to combat antisemitism and student safety amid last year’s campus protests over the Israel-Hamas War.

Last week, the school agreed to make changes demanded by the Trump administration, sparking anger from rights advocates, who called it an assault on free speech.

People rally against the detention by ICE agents of Hamas supporter and Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, in New York City, on March 20, 2025. Media analysts who spew incorrect details proclaim violations of freedom of speech and the right to assembly, the writer claims.  (credit: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
People rally against the detention by ICE agents of Hamas supporter and Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, in New York City, on March 20, 2025. Media analysts who spew incorrect details proclaim violations of freedom of speech and the right to assembly, the writer claims. (credit: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Armstrong's final statement

In a campus-wide email at the time, Armstrong wrote that her priorities were “to advance our mission, ensure uninterrupted academic activities, and make every student, faculty, and staff member safe and welcome on our campus.”

Columbia was at the center of the Gaza encampment protests in the summer of 2024 that spread across the United States. Protesters demanded an end to Israel’s war, which followed Hamas’s October 7 attacks, and urged their colleges to divest from companies with ties to Israel.