Columbia University’s interim president Katrina Armstrong has stepped down, the embattled school announced Friday amid its ongoing struggles with the Trump administration.
The university said that Armstrong will be replaced immediately by Board of Trustees co-chair Claire Shipman. Armstrong will return to her previous post as head of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center. The university did not offer an explanation for the change in leadership.
“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 Greenwald, chair of the Board of Trustees, in a statement.
Shipman will also serve as acting president until a permanent president is chosen.
“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. Columbia’s new permanent president, when that individual is selected, will conduct an appropriate review of the University’s leadership team and structure to ensure we are best positioned for the future,” Shipman wrote in a statement.
Shipman has been on Columbia’s Board of Trustees since 2013, and has been co-chair since 2023.
The move comes just days after the university announced new policies, some of which aligned with demands made by the Trump administration after it pulled $400 million in funding over what it called the school’s “appalling inaction” on protecting students against antisemitism.
Interim President Katrina Armstrong returning to Irving Medical Center
Katrina Armstrong, who had been serving as the interim president since August 2024, will be returning to her previous position as the CEO of Columbia’s Irving Medical Center.
In a message posted Friday, Armstrong wrote, “It has been a singular honor to lead Columbia University in this important and challenging time. This is one of the world’s great universities, in its most vital city, and I am proud to have worked with extraordinary faculty, students, and alumni.”
She added that she had always planned to return to her role at Irving Medical Center and she believes that is where she “can best serve this University and our community moving forward.”
“Over the last few months, I appreciate having had the opportunity to play a small part in navigating this vast enterprise through some of the most difficult moments in its history. The world needs Columbia University, and you can be assured that I will do everything I can to tell that story,” Armstrong wrote.
Armstrong took on the role of interim president when former university president Dr. Minouche Shafik resigned after months of criticism over her handling of on-campus protests in response to the Israel-Hamas war and her handling of antisemitism on campus.
