Republican politicians praised the sudden resignation on Wednesday of embattled Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, but some blame the scholar for allowing anti-Semitism to flourish on the Ivy League campus.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Shafik’s resignation was “long overdue,” four months after he urged him to step down.
“President Shafik’s refusal to protect Jewish students and maintain order on campus has allowed Columbia to become a center of the virulent anti-Semitism that has plagued many American college campuses since last fall’s brutal Hamas attacks on Israel,” the congressmen said in a scathing statement.
“Jewish students studying at Columbia University starting this academic year should breathe a sigh of relief…. We hope that President Shafik’s resignation serves as an example to university administrators across the nation that tolerating or protecting anti-Semites will not be tolerated and will face consequences.”
Shafik acknowledged that he was leaving the elite university after just one year in a tenure marred by constant and sometimes disruptive anti-Israel protests.
In a letter to the student body, she acknowledged that this “period of turmoil” had prompted her shock resignation.
Several members of the House Education and Labor Committee, which investigated Shafik and other Ivy League presidents about rising anti-Semitism on campuses, acknowledged that Shafik’s resignation was the result of the investigation.
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York congratulated the news in a statement, referencing the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology who resigned earlier this year.
“Three done. Lots left.” Stefanick wroteHe added: “Her failed presidency was unsustainable and it was only a matter of time before she was forced to resign.”
“We will continue to demand moral transparency, condemnation of anti-Semitism, protections for Jewish students and faculty, and stronger leadership from America’s institutions of higher education,” she added.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chairwoman of the House Education and Labor Committee, accused Shafik of allowing a “disturbing wave of anti-Semitic harassment, discrimination and disorder” to flourish on Columbia’s campus.
“Jewish students, faculty and staff have been ridiculed, harassed and assaulted simply because of their identity. All students have the right to a safe learning environment – period. Yet serious violations of the law and university rules have gone unpunished.” Fox wrote.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) also referred to Shafik’s testimony before the House committee, in which he refused to say whether the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was anti-Semitic.
“This is something that should have been done a long time ago.” Lawler said on X.
“I have called for President Shafik’s removal or resignation following her utter failure to condemn the anti-Semitic rants at Columbia University or ensure the safety of Jewish students on campus. May this serve as a lesson to all who recoil in the face of evil.”
Even Democrats have followed suit.
New York Rep. Ritchie Torres said that during Shafik’s tenure, the university “has been exposed as a center of anti-Semitism on New York City campuses.”
“We hope that the new leadership can summon the moral clarity and moral courage to confront the deep-rooted corruption of anti-Semitism at the heart of Colombia.” He was furious.
Shafik announced his departure from Columbia in an explosive letter to school officials on Wednesday, following months of growing calls for his resignation over his handling of the protests that erupted after Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion of Israel.
Critics argued that Shafik did not do enough to crack down on campus protests before a tent city took over the Ivy League school’s lawn just weeks before graduation.
“This period has placed a great strain on my family, as well as others in our community,” the scholar said.
“After much reflection over the summer, I have decided that my stepping down at this time would best serve Columbia University as it navigates the challenges ahead,” she wrote.
Dr. Katrina Armstrong, CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will serve as interim president, the university announced.
