TJV Editorial – Why Columbia U’s President Claire Shipman Must Resign Immediately

Columbia University’s reputation—already under siege for failing to protect Jewish students—has suffered a grievous blow. Acting President Claire Shipman’s malicious text messages, in which she belittles a Jewish trustee and downplays antisemitic threats on campus, reveal an unfit leader at the helm of an institution grappling with moral and legal crises.

Recent disclosures by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, co-chair of a committee investigating campus antisemitism, have exposed messages from 2023 and 2024 when Shipman served on the university’s Board of Trustees. In these messages, she urged the removal of Shoshana Shendelman, a Jewish board member speaking out against campus bigotry, labeling her a “mole” and complaining, “I just don’t think she should be on the board.” She dismissed deeply felt concerns, referring to them as “not necessarily a rational feeling.” In a further display of unsettling bias, Shipman suggested that the university urgently needed “somebody from the Middle East… or who is Arab on our board.”

These are not benign missteps or private grumblings. They are the words of a leader who regards concerns over antisemitism as irritations rather than real threats. Her text message to Vice-Chair Wanda Greene that this Jewish board member was “so, so tired” underscores her disrespect for a colleague whose only offense was speaking truth to power.

In response, Shipman issued a carefully worded apology to a select inner circle—faculty donors, alumni, and advisers. But this is insufficient. Apologies without accountability do nothing to restore trust—or demonstrate a genuine commitment to combating the antisemitism festering on campus.

Let’s be precise: Columbia is not dealing with isolated incidents. Jewish students here face escalating hostility—harassing chants, demeaning signs, and protests that appear designed to intimidate and silence. The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has launched multiple investigations, finding that the university has shown “deliberate indifference” in failing to address this surge of hate. Columbia lost $400 million in federal funding earlier this year, and now navigates negotiations with a lawsuit-level federal consent decree—an unprecedented intervention in its history.

This crisis has already cost two presidents their jobs—Minouche Shafik and Katrina Armstrong—both resigning amid similar controversies. It would take naive obstinacy or moral bankruptcy for Shipman to expect that anything less than her own exit will suffice.

It is worth highlighting that Shipman’s text dismissing Shendelman’s concerns—phrased as “people feel somehow betrayed… not necessarily a rational feeling”—is emblematic of a wider failure among institutional elites to take antisemitism seriously. How often have we heard Jewish voices reduced to echoes of paranoia or emotional outburst, only to later be validated by tragic reality?

By demanding an “Arab” board member in reaction to legitimate Jewish concerns, Shipman demonstrated not advocacy for inclusion, but a troubling readiness to engage in identity politics that sidelines Jewish representation. Rather than a genuine embrace of diversity, it was a tactic to marginalize Jewish voices that were inconvenient to boardroom comfort.

Congressmen Tim Walberg and Elise Stefanik have rightly flagged Shipman’s behavior as potentially violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination in institutions that receive federal funding. By minimizing antisemitism and seeking to remove Jewish representation from governance, Shipman may have placed Columbia—and her institution—on the wrong side of federal civil rights law.

Academic institutions are supposed to be guardians of conscience and platforms for open discourse—not breeding grounds for bigotry cloaked in managerial discretion. Columbia’s mission, its prestige, and its global legacy demand a leadership that protects every student’s right to learn free from fear. How could Shipman possibly evacuate her deepest sentiments of suspicion and disdain? We must hold her words and actions accountable.

The university should not allow her quiet resignation to a closed mailing list to calm the storm. Shipman’s apology is insufficient; it is a Band-Aid on an infected wound.

Columbia needs a swift reset. Here’s what must happen:

Claire Shipman must step down without further delay. Her toxic mindset has no place in a leadership role tasked with safeguarding Jewish students during a period of unprecedented hostility.

Columbia’s trustees must launch a full and transparent review, examining not only text messages but systemic failures in responding to antisemitic conduct.

The university should enact binding commitments under the consent decree—not as reluctant compromises, but as principled steps to ensure Jewish students are treated with dignity and respect.

Rather than seeking token “Arab” diversity as a substitute, Columbia must commit to substantial representation and input from Jewish community leaders—ensuring their concerns are central to policymaking.

Every university bears the responsibility to combat hate with vigilance and clarity. But Columbia—once a beacon of intellectual rigor—has stumbled repeatedly, placing its own institutional prestige above protecting vulnerable students.

Let us not be naive. Shipman’s comments reflect an ethos far more widespread than a few regrettable texts. They reflect a culture at Columbia where Jewish voices are silenced, concerns are dismissed, and leadership fails to act.

Columbia must choose: it can stand for moral courage or institutional cowardice. By demanding Shipman’s immediate resignation and instituting comprehensive reforms, Columbia can reclaim its place as a guardian of diversity, truth, and justice—or it can continue its descent into complicity.

There can be no more excuses. Shipman’s only honorable course is to resign—as a first step in rebuilding trust with Jewish students, alumni, and the broader academic community who came here for enlightenment, not erasure.

Why wait?