Will Columbia Continue to Support Terrorism?

One would look at the vaulted reputation of Columbia University and wonder how it self-obliterated its reputation in such a short time. It seems it went from a great University, a bastion of liberal, open education to an epicenter to champion anti-Semitism in less than a year.

It escalated when former president Minouche Shafik suddenly resigned and fled back to the United Kingdom after the elite institution was marred by constant, and sometimes destructive, anti-Israel protests that splashed Columbia across national headlines.

This was caused by the pro-Hamas demonstrations after October 7, 2023 and was heightened by the Congressional hearing which brought the issue of anti-Semitism to the fore on many University campuses.

In response to this, President Trump pulled $400MM in Federal grant money to send a message that supporting anti-Semitism on college campuses by faculty and administrators comes at a cost.

Now, Columbia University’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, resigned from her position at the embattled Ivy League university Friday night, just days after she told the Trump Administration she would implement a mask ban, while privately promising faculty she would not. The Board of Trustees apparently doubted her ability to lead negotiations with the Trump Administration over the university’s $400MM in Federal funding and get it returned.

In addition, the continued demonstrations by pro-Hamas students to additionally support Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who spearheaded the student-led seizure, detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents earlier this month for his role in disruptive and, at times, violent anti-Israel protests at Columbia last summer, hasn’t played well to help Columbia’s reputation.

So, the Board, in order to at least appear pro-active, replaced Ms Armstrong with Co-Chair Claire Shipman, the former senior national correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, and who is married to former Obama Press Secretary, Jay Carney.

But this appears to be a short-term band-aid, unless the situation gets dramatically turned around. Until it does, President Trump will continue to withhold the Federal grant money.

It is time for Columbia to recognize that continued support of anti-Semitism will not be tolerated or it will continue to lose anticipated taxpayer funding by its support of terrorists over its Jewish students’ rights to an education.