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Zhang Shuo, a reporter from Asia Pacific Daily in Melbourne

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned on Wednesday as the head of the prestigious New York institution grappled with protests over the Israeli-Palestinian war and criticism of how the school handles conflict and division.

The school in Upper Manhattan was rocked by student protests this year that culminated in scenes of police armed with ropes and riot shields storming a building occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters — similar protests that have gripped college campuses across the country.

The announcement came just days after the university confirmed the resignation of three deans after officials said they sent derogatory text messages to one another during a campus discussion about Jewish life and anti-Semitism. Shafik said in a July 8 letter to the district that the text messages were unprofessional and “disturbingly touched upon age-old anti-Semitic cliches.”

Shafik was among the university leaders called to testify before Congress earlier this year, where she was harshly criticized by Republicans for not doing enough to address concerns about anti-Semitism on Columbia's campus.