The president of Columbia University, Minouche Shafik, has resigned following months of criticism of her handling of campus protests over the war in Gaza.

In her email, Shafik shared that she will be accepting a role with the UK’s foreign secretary, “to chair a review of the government’s approach to international development”.

Columbia was widely seen as the center of the student-led pro-Palestinian protests, sparking a widespread movement of demonstrations at universities across the US and abroad.

In response, Shafik authorized New York police to move on to campus and break up the encampments, claiming they “pose a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the university”. Forty-six students were arrested and, after students continued their occupation, many more were suspended. Media were prohibited from entering campus to cover the arrests.

Hundreds of faculty members issued statements condemning Shafik’s crackdown on student protesters, and walked out in support of their students. The university cancelled its commencement ceremony the following month.