US university: Transitional president of the Columbia University

Accompanied by large tensions with the US government, there is again a change at the top of the renowned New York Columbia University. The interim president of the university, Katrina Armstrong, takes off – and informed in a written statement that she again took on her previous tasks at the university. The role as a managing president covers Claire Shipman with immediate effect. Armstrong held the line roll for only seven and a half months.

In the summer of last year, the Columbia President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik resigned on campus after persistent criticism of how to deal with propalestinian demonstrations. Armstrong followed – in a managing role. In the middle of the great political tensions, she finally fell to the US government, which were widely considered to be capitulated by the respected university.

The university agreed to revise its guidelines for protests, safety rules and the Department of Middle East studies. Previously, the US government had put pressure on the announcement to release $ 400 million (around 368 million euros) of federal funds for the university only at far-reaching changes.

Other universities fear similar consequences

Other well -known universities such as Harvard, Stanford and the University of Michigan are also faced with federal investigations and fear similar consequences. University lines warn that the forced steering of Columbia University can be a dangerous precedent.

The government had accused the New York university that it had not adequately protected Jewish students from harassment and threats on campus. The university had become the scene of large propalestinian protests last spring.

The case of the Palestinian student Machmud Chalil is currently causing a sensation. Among other things, the US government accuses the graduate of the Columbia University of having distributed leaflets with Hamas logo on campus and wants to deport him. According to his lawyer, the student married to an American has a GreenCard and thus an unlimited residence permit in the USA.