Columbia University president Minouche Shafik announced on Wednesday her intention to resign, effective immediately.
In a statement to the New York-based university community, she said the protests that rocked the campus this year, along with others worldwide, had been factors in her decision.
“This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in the community,” Ms Shafik wrote.
“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.”
Ms Shafik was appointed president of the university last year as the first woman to take on the role.
Born in Alexandria, she and her family left Egypt when Gamal Abdel Nasser began nationalising the country.
She grew up in the southern US, living in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. She holds British and US citizenship.
Previously, she led the London School of Economics, where she earned her master's degree before attaining her doctorate at the University of Oxford.
She also worked at the World Bank, where she rose through the ranks to become the bank’s youngest vice president, as well as the UK Department for International Development, and stints at the International Monetary Fund and the Bank of England.
At the time of Ms Shafik’s appointment, Columbia board of trustees chairman Jonathan Lavine described her as a leader who deeply understood “the academy and the world beyond it”.
“What set Minouche apart as a candidate,” Mr Lavine had said in a statement, “is her unshakable confidence in the vital role institutions of higher education can and must play in solving the world’s most complex problems.”
Columbia was the site of a large student-led protest – one of many across the country – against the war in Gaza and Washington's support of Israel.
Ms Shafik condemned what she called anti-Semitic language and intimidating and harassing behaviour on the campus by protesters, and asked police to intervene when demonstrators refused to disperse.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
