Columbia Names Jennifer Mnookin President Amid Federal Funding Fight
She will start July 1 as Columbia seeks to recover $400 million in research grants after two years of campus turmoil.
Overview
Columbia University announced Sunday that it has named Jennifer Mnookin, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as its next president and that she will assume the post on July 1.
The appointment follows two years of campus turmoil that included pro-Palestinian protests and the Trump administration's cancellation of $400 million in research grants, according to university statements and public records.
Columbia said it reached a settlement with the administration to restore funding in exchange for disciplinary reforms, a deal the school described as worth roughly $220 million and that some students and faculty criticized.
Mnookin, 58, has led the University of Wisconsin-Madison since Aug. 2022 and previously served as dean of the UCLA School of Law, and the university said she will be Columbia's fifth leader in four years while other accounts describe her as the fourth in two years.
Trustees and Columbia officials said Mnookin will be charged with implementing overhauled student disciplinary procedures, adopting a federal definition of antisemitism and rebuilding trust with students, donors and federal officials after the funding dispute.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Columbia's leadership change as a response to two years of turmoil driven by federal pressure, using charged verbs ("squelch," "took aim") and emphasis on Trump-era actions (research cancellations, student detentions). Those wording and structural choices are editorial framing, while the cited cancellations and detentions are source content.
Sources (3)
FAQ
Jennifer Mnookin has served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison since August 2022, was dean of UCLA School of Law from 2015 to 2022, and held faculty positions at UCLA and University of Virginia School of Law. She holds an AB from Harvard, JD from Yale Law School, and PhD from MIT.
The Trump administration canceled $400 million in research grants due to two years of campus turmoil involving pro-Palestinian protests.
She will implement overhauled student disciplinary procedures, adopt a federal definition of antisemitism, and rebuild trust with students, donors, and federal officials after the funding dispute.
Columbia reached a settlement with the administration to restore funding worth roughly $220 million in exchange for disciplinary reforms, though some students and faculty criticized the deal.
Under her leadership, UW-Madison ranked fifth in research expenditures, surpassed $1.93 billion in research investment, launched the RISE Initiative on AI, sustainability, and health, and expanded student access programs.
History
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