The president of Columbia University, Minouche Shafik, has resigned following months of criticism of her handling of campus protests over the war in Gaza.

“This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community,” Shafik wrote in an email to staff and students on Wednesday. “It has also been a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community.”

She added: “Over the summer, I’ve been able to reflect and have decided that my moving on this point would best enable Columbia to traverse the challenges ahead.”

Her resignation, effective immediately, was unexpected, with the university’s fall semester just weeks from beginning. It comes on the heels of two other Ivy League presidents’ resignations in the past year.

Shafik, whose tenure began in July 2023 and made her the first woman to head the prestigious university in New York City, appeared before Congress in April, in highly publicized hearings regarding allegations of on-campus antisemitism. At about the same time, her decision to call the New York police department on to campus, in response to student protests, drew the ire of students and faculty.

More details soon …