Columbia's president, no stranger to complex challenges, walks tightrope on student protests
Columbia University president Minouche Shafik is no stranger to navigating complex international issues, having worked at some of the world’s most prominent global financial institutions.
At the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, for example, she tackled both the European debt crisis and the Arab Spring.
It remains to be seen, however, if her experience with world conflicts has sufficiently equipped her to navigate the thorny challenges she faces amid ongoing student protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
“The reason you protest is to call attention to an issue,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education. “And you do that by challenging the normal order of things. It’s not a problem to be solved, but a tension to be managed.”
The task before her — to balance the demands of students, faculty and politicians — is also a reflection of just how complex governing universities has become in this day and age, when college footprints have grown ever larger, observers say. And it echoes the experience of a growing number of university leaders who, like Shafik, come from nonacademic backgrounds.
Related articles
- Director David Cronenberg returned to the south of France to premiere his new film The Shrouds, earn2024-05-21
Robin Goodfellow's racing tips: Best bets for Friday, April 26
Mail Sport's racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Friday's meetings at Doncaster, Ch2024-05-21Yemen's Houthi rebels claim downing US Reaper drone
JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. militar2024-05-21Messi: I'll retire when I can't help my team
Lionel Messi has not yet thought about retirement and says age will not be a determining factor in h2024-05-21I visited the most crowded island on Earth
Likened to a giant armor-plated turtle because the tin roofs are so tightly packed together, Migingo2024-05-21More Chinese people hit road for Dragon Boat Festival
More Chinese people are hitting the road on the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, offic2024-05-21
atest comment