Katrina Armstrong will be stepping down “effective immediately” as Columbia University’s interim president, the school said on Friday.
Armstrong was announced as the interim president of the New York City university in August 2024 after then-President Minouche Shafik announced her immediate resignation, following student protests over the Israel-Hamas war that roiled the campus.
“Dr. Armstrong accepted the role of interim president at a time of great uncertainty for the University and worked tirelessly to promote the interests of our community,” said David J. Greenwald, chair of the Board of Trustees.
“Katrina has always given her heart and soul to Columbia. We appreciate her service and look forward to her continued contributions to the University,” Greenwald said on Friday.
The school said Armstrong would be returning to lead the university’s Irving Medical Center and that Board of Trustees Co-Chair Claire Shipman has been appointed acting president.
“I assume this role with a clear understanding of the serious challenges before us and a steadfast commitment to act with urgency, integrity, and work with our faculty to advance our mission, implement needed reforms, protect our students, and uphold academic freedom and open inquiry,” Shipman said in a statement.
The news comes a week after the university appeared to have ceded to the Trump administration‘s demands after a threat to withhold $400 million in federal funds.
The school posted a four-page memo last week entitled, “Advancing Our Work to Combat Discrimination, Harassment, and Antisemitism at Columbia.”
Columbia agreed to ban masks, one of the Trump administration’s key demands, saying in the memo, “Public safety has determined that face masks or face coverings are not allowed for the purpose of concealing one’s identity in the commission of violations of University policies or state, municipal, or federal laws.”
The university also agreed to stricter controls over its Middle East Studies department, which will now be overseen by a new senior vice provost who “will conduct a thorough review of the portfolio of programs in regional areas across the University, starting immediately with the Middle East.”
Columbia’s Board of Trustees issued a statement supporting the memo last weekend.
“We have and continue to support Interim President Armstrong’s approach, including today’s presentation of the University’s progress and deeply thoughtful actions. We are grateful for her principled and courageous leadership during this unprecedented time, and for the steps she has and is taking to strengthen our institution,” the Board of Trustees said.
Earlier this month, former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to his involvement in last year’s protests.
Khalil was detained in the lobby of a Columbia-owned apartment building while returning to his residence with his wife, according to the habeas corpus petition challenging his arrest filed by his attorneys.
