Minouche Shafik, the president of Columbia, is receiving criticism from all sides.

The head of Columbia’s Board of Trustees referred to Minouche Shafik as the “ideal candidate” when she was named president of the university last year.

Currently, the speaker of the House of Representatives, along with a few of her own instructors and pupils, are urging her to step down.

Shafik, an economist of Egyptian descent who previously held senior positions at the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Bank of England in addition to serving as the president of the London School of Economics, is facing criticism for how she handled demonstrations on the Columbia campus about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, just over nine months into her job.

Since the Israel-Hamas war, college administrators have come under severe scrutiny. Presidents Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania and Claudine Gay of Harvard University resigned in response to criticism for their handling of antisemitism on campuses.

Some Columbia faculty members, students, and left-leaning senators are furious that Shafik gave the New York Police Department permission to end student demonstrations on campus, where students were calling for the university to sever its academic and financial links to Israel. They claim that academic freedom was violated by the crackdown on student protests, which led to the imprisonment of over 100 people. Meanwhile, the administration is being criticized by students, right-leaning lawmakers, and religious organizations for not doing enough to quell antisemitic remarks on Columbia’s campus and at demonstrations outside its doors.

Democratic Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Tuesday, saying, “Calling in police enforcement on nonviolent demonstrations of young students on campus is an escalatory, reckless, and dangerous act.” It is an egregious example of a leadership failure that endangers people’s lives. I abhor it with all of my strength.

Rep. Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House, demanded that Shafik step down during a heated press conference on Wednesday at Columbia. Johnson declared, “Together with my colleagues, I am here today to demand that President Shafik step down if she is unable to immediately restore order to this chaos.

James Finkelstein, an emeritus professor of public policy at George Mason University who specializes in the hiring and selection of university presidents, said, “These are extremely difficult situations for a university president, especially someone who is not tested over time.”

“There’s a significant chance she won’t make it through this,” Finkelstein continued. “Her chances of keeping her job are, at most, 50/50.”

In stating that it “strongly supports” Shafik as she “steers the university through this extraordinarily challenging time,” Columbia’s Board of Trustees is standing with Shafik.

The board stated in a statement on Wednesday that President Shafik assured us throughout the search process for this position that she would always take a thoughtful approach to resolving conflict, balancing the disparate voices that make up a vibrant campus like Columbia’s.” “She’s doing exactly that right now.

parallels to the university protests in Vietnam

Shafik is now being compared to former Columbia president Grayson Kirk, who summoned 1,000 riot-gear-clad police officers in 1968 to put an end to student protests against the Vietnam War, Columbia’s involvement in military research, and the university’s ties to the Harlem neighborhood.

Later on in the year, Kirk resigned.

Shafik gave the New York Police Department permission last week to clear the Columbia campus’s “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.” More than 100 people were detained by police on suspicion of illegal trespassing, and Columbia suspended its students who were taking part in the protest encampment.

Finkelstein stated, “Columbia itself has its own traditions and memories of bringing police on campus.” “Your student body and faculty are historically activist.”

In his words, Shafik “suggests to me being very insensitive to the history of the institution” by allowing the NYPD to arrest protestors.

Shafik’s decision to give the NYPD permission to remove protestors from campus has drawn criticism from certain Columbia faculty members, who have called for the dismissal of all legal and disciplinary charges and the erasure of all student records. Voting as a “unprecedented assault on student rights,” the faculty decided to file a symbolic measure censuring Shafik for her decision to permit the NYPD.

Reaction against antisemitism

Since Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, Shafik has condemned antisemitism, urged students to report instances of discrimination, and stated that the university will look into hate speech and crimes against Jews.

She declared on November 1st that a task force on antisemitism at universities would be formed.

Shafik stated that more has to be done to combat antisemitism during his appearance before Congress last week. He noted that instructors and students had faced disciplinary action for their antisemitism.

However, Shafik and the management of the university are being criticized for how they have handled both Islamophobia and antisemitism.

A Columbia student who was displaying pro-Israel posters around campus last autumn was attacked. The university has also been under fire for employing a lecturer who was purportedly seen on social media endorsing Hamas in the wake of the terror attack on Israel on October 7. Shafik said last Wednesday that the professor had been let go.

The Department of Education is looking into claims of antisemitism and Islamophobia at Columbia, UPenn, Harvard, and four other universities in response to complaints. The Department of Education will provide suggestions to the schools following the investigations. If the schools don’t comply, they could lose their federal funding.

A number of Jewish students have reported experiencing verbal and physical harassment on campus, while antisemitic events have occurred outside of Columbia University.

The university has been urged to take more steps by Columbia’s Hillel group to safeguard students and guarantee that they can move about campus without worrying about being harassed.

Major contributors, Republican lawmakers, and a few Democratic lawmakers have demanded Shafik’s resignation, arguing that these occurrences demonstrate her inadequate response to antisemitism.

The owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, graduated from Columbia and has given the university millions of dollars. He stated on Monday, “I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff, and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.” “I hope that Columbia and its leadership will put an immediate stop to these protests in order to oppose this hate.”