Three deans at Columbia University have stepped down following the emergence of derogatory text messages exchanged during a campus event regarding Jewish life and antisemitism. The university confirmed the resignations on Thursday, a month after the administrators were initially relieved of their duties and placed on indefinite leave. Columbia President Minouche Shafik denounced the messages as unprofessional, expressing concern that they delved into ancient antisemitic stereotypes.
The deans, who have not been officially named by Columbia but whose identities have been widely circulated in media reports, were placed on leave after a conservative news outlet published screenshots of their texts from a May 31 panel discussion on “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future.” The incident followed a prior event where police were called to remove pro-Palestinian protesters from an administration building and dismantle a tent encampment.
Private messages obtained by The Washington Free Beacon included derogatory remarks about individuals in the university community. One text implied that a panelist planned to exploit a discussion on antisemitism for fundraising purposes, while another disparaged an essay by a campus rabbi on the subject. The administrators have refrained from public statements since the texts surfaced in June.
Cristen Kromm, the former dean of undergraduate student life, and Matthew Patashnick, the former associate dean for student and family support, did not respond to requests for comment. The third dean, Susan Chang-Kim, could not be immediately reached for a statement. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has released some of the exchanged messages.
In response to the incident, President Shafik vowed to introduce robust training programs on antisemitism and antidiscrimination for faculty, staff, and students starting in the fall semester.
