Katrina Armstrong, interim president of Columbia University, is stepping down, the school said in an announcement Friday.

Katrina Armstrong has come under pressure amid a high-profile battle with the Trump administration over the university’s federal funding.

Columbia University's interim president, Katrina Armstrong, is stepping aside and the co-chair of its board of trustees, Claire Shipman, has been named acting president, the university said in a statement on Friday.

Columbia University appointed a new acting president Friday. Katrina Armstrong, who had been serving as the interim president since August 2024, will be returning to her previous position as the CEO of Columbia's Irving Medical Center.

Students and neighbors are suing the school, magnifying the broader complaint that institutions stifle free expression when they restrict access to public spaces following protests.

Columbia University’s interim president resigned Friday, becoming the Ivy League school’s second embattled leader to vacate the position as the school remains the target of President Donald Trump and other Republicans over its handling of pro-Palestinian student activism.

The Trump administration has proposed cuts to research and labs across the country; targeted certain schools with diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; and signed an executive order to eliminate the U.