Columbia's President Keeps a Shaky Hold on Her Job
- University leader is getting criticism from all sides
- Trustees have defended Minouche Shafik from calls to resign
Minouche Shafik visits Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York City on May 1.
Photographer: Indy Scholtens/Getty ImagesColumbia University President Minouche Shafik’s decision to allow police on campus for two weeks will likely help her avoid the fates of Ivy League leaders who were forced to resign partly over the way they dealt with protests and accusations of antisemitism.
Shafik, an economist who started the job in July, continues to face a barrage of criticism for failing to get pro-Palestinian protests under control, even as she has twice sent in the police to crack down on demonstrators. Some thought the intervention should have been sooner, while other critics are decrying her tactics and the more than 100 arrests this week as a violation of civil liberties and free speech.