Northwestern University president says he will resign after tensions with White House over campus antisemitism

Northwestern University President Michael Schill announces that he will resign, ending a three-year tenure marked by the freeze of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding by the Trump administration and heated criticism from House Republicans over the university’s response to anti-Israel and antisemitic campus protests.

In a statement announcing his resignation, Schill acknowledges those challenges directly.

“It is critical that we continue to protect the university’s research mission and excellence while preserving academic freedom, integrity, and independence,” he says.

Northwestern emerged as a prominent target of  US President Donald Trump’s campaign to reshape elite colleges he has derided as hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism. In April, the administration froze $790 million in federal funding for the school in Evanston, Illinois, which is among dozens of colleges that have been under investigation over claims that they did not do enough to protect Jewish students during campus protests.

During the wave of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests in spring 2024, Northwestern drew ire from conservatives over an agreement it struck with demonstrators to take down their encampment. In exchange, Northwestern pledged to reestablish an advisory committee on university investments in Israel and other commitments.

Schill defended the arrangement during an appearance in May 2024 before a House committee investigating campus antisemitism.

“We had to get the encampment down,” Schill said. “The police solution was not going to be available to us to keep people safe, and also may not be the wisest solution as we’ve seen at other campuses across the country.”

Supporters of Israel and the administration officials have framed the protests at Northwestern and other schools as antisemitic and “pro-Hamas.” But people involved in the demonstrations reject that characterization. They say advocating for Palestinian rights or a Palestinian state, or criticizing Israeli military action, is not antisemitic.

Schill will continue as president until an interim leader is chosen, Northwestern says. He also will work with the Board of Trustees on efforts to restore the university’s frozen federal funding, the school says.