Columbia University Interim President Katrina Armstrong Resigns

Columbia University’s interim president resigned from her position at the embattled Ivy League Friday night, just days after she told the Trump administration she would implement a mask ban — while privately promising faculty she would not.

Katrina Armstrong was booted from her position after the prestige school’s board of trustees doubted her ability to lead negotiations with the Trump administration over the university’s $400 million in federal funding, sources told The Post.

The news of Armstrong’s resignation was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

“The action taken by Columbia’s trustees today, especially in light of this week’s concerning revelations, is an important step toward advancing negotiations as set forth in the pre-conditional understanding reached last Friday between the University and the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism,” the federal Department of Education said in a statement.

Armstrong’s resignation comes after the Trump White House called for a total ban on masks at campus protests as part of a sweeping list of reforms aimed at cracking down on rampant antisemitism.

The school, which was given a month to comply or risk losing its federal funding, caved and agreed to enforce the changes last Friday — despite Armstrong privately downplaying the anti-Israel policy to faculty.

In an attempt to save face, Armstrong released a statement earlier this week calling claims she defied Trump’s order “unequivocally false” while assuring the mask ban would be implemented with the full support of Columbia’s senior leadership team and the Board of Trustees.

But it was too late, as transcripts from comments she made to faculty revealed she renounced those very actions she vowed to take — which was the final straw for school officials, according to sources.

Armstrong told students and faculty in a letter Friday that she will return to her role as chief executive officer of the university’s Irving Medical Center.

“It has been a singular honor to lead Columbia University in this important and challenging time,” she wrote.

“This is one of the world’s great universities, in its most vital city, and I am proud to have worked with extraordinary faculty, students, and alumni. But my heart is with science, and my passion is with healing. That is where I can best serve this University and our community moving forward,” Armstrong continued.

“Over the last few months, I appreciate having had the opportunity to play a small part in navigating this vast enterprise through some of the most difficult moments in its history. The world needs Columbia University, and you can be assured that I will do everything I can to tell that story.”

Armstrong assumed the high-profile position in August 2024 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.

Shafik, at the helm for less than a year, blamed the year-long “period of turmoil” for her shocking departure.

Critics slammed Shafik for not sufficiently cracking down on campus protests in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel — until the tent encampments took over the Ivy League school’s lawn in the weeks leading up to graduation.

Hundreds of students were arrested on trespassing charges for refusing to pack up, but the demonstrations escalated when a destructive mob of masked pro-terror rioters illegally took over the Hamilton Hall academic building last April.

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who spearheaded the student-led seizure, was 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.

His arrest came days after Trump yanked $400 million in grants and contracts from the Ivy League school, claiming Columbia didn’t comply with anti-discrimination laws when it failed to protect Jewish students.

Board of trustees co-chair Claire Shipman has been named acting president, effective immediately, Columbia said in a statement, adding that she will serve until the board “completes its presidential search.”

“I assume this role with a clear understanding of the serious challenges before us and a steadfast commitment to act with urgency, integrity, and work with our faculty to advance our mission, implement needed reforms, protect our students, and uphold academic freedom and open inquiry,” Shipman said.

“Columbia’s new permanent president, when that individual is selected, will conduct an appropriate review of the University’s leadership team and structure to ensure we are best positioned for the future.”

Shipman has served on the board since 2013 and is a journalist and author with a graduate degree in international affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia, officials said in their statement.

She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Russian studies from Columbia College.