A look at the university presidents who have resigned under pressure over their handling of the Gaza protests

The anti-war protests in Gaza have put intense pressure on U.S. university leaders, who are charged with overcoming bitter divisions on campuses while balancing free speech rights with concerns about campus security.

On Tuesday, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik became the latest to resign under pressure over her handling of the protests.

Like many of his colleagues, Shafik faced criticism from many quarters: Some student groups criticized his decision to invite police to arrest protesters; Republicans in Congress and others called on him to do more to denounce anti-Semitism; and the university’s College of Arts and Sciences passed a censure resolution against him.

Here’s a look at other university leaders who have resigned or faced tough questions.

University of Pennsylvania

Liz Magill of Pennsylvania was the first of three Ivy League presidents to resign after controversial appearances before Congress, ahead of Claudine Gay of Harvard and Shafik of Columbia.

Magill resigned in December after less than two years on the job. He faced pressure from donors and criticism for his testimony at a congressional hearing, where he failed to say under repeated questioning that calls for genocide of Jews on campus would violate the school’s conduct policy.

Criticism of Magill came from the White House, Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, and members of Congress. Lawyers for a major Penn donor, Ross Stevens, threatened to withdraw a $100 million donation because of the university’s “stance on anti-Semitism on campus” unless Magill was replaced.

Harvard University

Claudine Gay, Harvard’s first black president, faced similar criticism for offering legal responses at the same hearing before a U.S. House committee on anti-Semitism on college campuses. Gay apologized and told the student newspaper that she failed to adequately report threats of violence against Jewish students.

Gay resigned in January, announcing his departure just months after taking office.

Following the congressional hearing, Gay’s academic career came under intense scrutiny from conservative activists who uncovered several instances of alleged plagiarism in her 1997 doctoral dissertation. Gay, in her resignation letter, said she found it distressing to have her commitment to confronting hate questioned and that she was afraid of “being the target of personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus.”

Columbia University

In his resignation letter, Shafik lamented that during his tenure it was “difficult to overcome divergent opinions in our community.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters first set up tent encampments on the Columbia campus during Shafik’s testimony before Congress in mid-April, when he denounced anti-Semitism but faced criticism for how he responded to faculty and students accused of bias.

Despite having weathered the ensuing tumult, he said he decided over the summer to resign. “This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has on others in the community,” he wrote.

His announcement also came just days after the school confirmed that three deans had resigned after officials said they exchanged disparaging texts during a campus discussion about Jewish life and anti-Semitism.

Others who have been on the tightrope

Many other administrators have weathered calls for their resignations from members of Congress and segments of their university communities.

For example, MIT President Sally Kornbluth was questioned at the same hearing as Magill and Gay, but she did not face the same pressure to resign. At the hearing, she said that speeches directed at individuals, not public statements, would be considered a violation of anti-bullying and harassment policies. The president of the MIT Corporation expressed support for Kornbluth, who is Jewish.

Others, including University of Massachusetts Chancellor Javier Reyes, have faced harsh criticism from faculty members for calling the police to break up peaceful demonstrations when protesters refused to leave. Reyes has defended calling the police as a last resort.

University leaders who reached agreements with students to resolve the demonstrations have also faced the ire of members of Congress. At a hearing last May, Northwestern President Michael Schill and Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway told lawmakers they had defused the danger without ceding ground to protesters.

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