the president of Columbia University in New York minu shafik has resigned after facing intense scrutiny on how she handled campus protests over the Israel Hamas War Pro Palestinian protesters first set up tent encampments on Colombia’s campus during shafi’s Congressional testimony in April it culminated in police officers storming a building that had been occupied by the demonstrators similar protests swept college campuses Nationwide Columbia had to cancel its university-wide commencement ceremony and had a series of smaller school-based ceremonies instead in her letter shaik wrote that she had taken time to reflect and that her stepping down would quote Best enable Colombia to Traverse the challenges ahead her tenure was one of the shortest in Colombia’s history she was the first woman to take on the role and will now be replaced by Katrina Armstrong the CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center who will serve as inim president