Columbia University’s leadership crisis has deepened as interim president Katrina Armstrong abruptly resigned, following mounting backlash over the university’s weak response to rampant pro-Hamas activism on campus.
Armstrong’s departure comes just days after the Trump administration took decisive action, suspending $400 million in federal funding due to Columbia’s failure to protect Jewish students from harassment and threats.
The university’s tacit support for anti-Israel protests, many of which turned openly antisemitic, has placed it at the center of national scrutiny, forcing Columbia to scramble to appease federal authorities. Armstrong, rather than standing firm against extremism, caved under the pressure and chose to walk away.
The university’s belated and reluctant concessions—such as increasing campus security and appointing a senior vice provost to oversee Middle Eastern studies—are nothing more than damage control. Columbia’s administration had allowed an environment of radicalization to flourish, where pro-Hamas rhetoric was normalized and Jewish students were subjected to hostility.