Columbia University's interim President, Katrina Armstrong, abruptly resigned on Friday after a leaked transcript from a faculty call revealed that Armstrong was not planning to live up to some parts of the deal the school signed with the federal government over issues of antisemitism and intellectual diversity.
Armstrong is the second Columbia president to leave in seven months. Claire Shipman, the co-chair of the university’s board of trustees, was named the acting president to replace Armstrong.
The Trump administration had canceled $400 million in grants to Columbia after the university's weak and ineffective response to the antisemitic campus protests last year. Armstrong approved a sweeping deal with the government that places academic departments in receivership (the Department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies and the Center for Palestinian Studies), redefined the term "antisemitism," banned wearing masks by protesters, and extracted a promise to hire more intellectually diverse faculty.
Last week, the Trump administration said that it was satisfied with the steps Columbia was making to address antisemitism on campus. But after a transcript of a Zoom call between Armstrong and about 75 faculty members was leaked, Armstrong's commitment to the terms of the deal was called into question.
According to a transcript of the call obtained by The Free Press, Armstrong promised that there would be “no change to masking,” and “no change to our admissions procedures,” both of which the administration has demanded. What’s more, she said the school would not put its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) department under “academic receivership” for a minimum of five years—another Trump demand. She also told faculty members that “discipline remains independent” and “has not been moved to my office,” as the Trump administration’s antisemitism task force had insisted.
This is in direct contradiction to Columbia’s public promises to the White House.
The Joint Task Force on Antisemitism that negotiated the deal with the Trump administration was not pleased.
"Columbia should not test the administration’s resolve in holding them to every action they’ve agreed to take to protect their students and faculty,” an unnamed source with the task force told the Free Press. “We expect full compliance and good faith negotiations if Columbia wants to have a productive relationship with the federal government.”
Armstrong felt compelled to issue a statement on Tuesday promising she'd hold up Columbia's end of the bargain. “I regret any confusion and inconsistent statements and want to make sure our position is clear as we go forward.” It couldn't save her. The Task Force issued a statement on Friday, after news broke of Armstrong's departure that indicated she was an impediment to the deal going forward. "The action taken by Columbia’s trustees today, especially in light of this week’s concerning revelation, is an important step toward advancing negotiations as set forth in the pre-conditional understanding reached last Friday between the University and the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism.”
Columbia and other colleges and universities are sailing in uncharted waters. Most schools refuse to realize that the entire game has changed, and that they have very few advantages and virtually no leverage.
The left-wing academics and administrators never had to prove their worth before. It's like the "Ghostbusters" talking about having to make a living after getting booted off campus.
"Personally, I liked the University. They gave us money and facilities, we didn't have to produce anything! You've never been out of college! You don't know what it's like out there! I've worked in the private sector. They expect results," sniffed Dr. Ray Stantz, played by Dan Aykroyd.
Welcome to the brave new world, Columbia.
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