This week, Columbia’s president resigns, Stanford wins the most medals of any U.S. college in the Paris Olympics, Duke offers Cherokee language courses, and Illinois becomes the fourth state to pass a legacy admissions ban.
Columbia University president Nemat (Minouche) Shafik resigned suddenly this week, announcing that she will be taking a job with Britain’s foreign secretary. Shafik’s tenure, which began in July 2023, was one of the briefest in Columbia’s history, and was marked by turmoil and campus protests regarding the Israel-Hamas war. Katrina Armstrong, the CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will be the interim president.
Stanford athletes and alumni won 39 medals in the Paris Olympics, 12 of which were gold. Swimming superstar Katie Ledecky is a Stanford alum, and Stanford also ended up on the podium in track, sailing, diving, gymnastics, and other sports. Fifty-nine Stanford athletes, representing 14 countries, competed in the games.
Duke University will offer a series of Cherokee language courses starting this fall. This will be the first time an Indigenous language has been taught at the university. The course series is part of Duke’s new Native American Studies Initiative, which aims to increase the visibility of Indigenous communities at the university, and to support students and faculty engaging in Native American studies and research.
Illinois passed a law banning legacy admission preferences at public colleges and universities, making it the fourth state to do so (along with Colorado, Virginia, and Maryland). Similar proposals are up for consideration in New York, Massachusetts, California, and Minnesota.
Leave a Reply