Northwestern University president says he will resign following tenure
marked by White House tension
[September 05, 2025]
By ANNIE MA
Northwestern University President Michael Schill said Thursday 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 campus protests.
The funding freeze and uncertainty over its finances contributed to
Northwestern’s decision to lay off around 200 people over the summer.
In a statement announcing his resignation, Schill acknowledged the
pressure from the White House.
“It is critical that we continue to protect the University’s research
mission and excellence while preserving academic freedom, integrity, and
independence,” he said.
Northwestern emerged as a prominent target of 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 private school in Evanston, Illinois,
one of dozens of colleges under investigation over claims they did not
do enough to protect Jewish students.
During the wave of pro-Palestinian 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
and made 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.”
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Northwestern University President Michael Schill testifies during a
hearing of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce
regarding pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses on Capitol
Hill, Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib,
File)
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 human rights
and territorial claims, or criticizing Israeli military action, is
not antisemitic.
Schill also navigated the fallout from a hazing scandal that broke
not long after he was named Northwestern's president in August 2022.
Former football players filed lawsuits in 2023 alleging sexual abuse
and racial discrimination on the team, and similar allegations then
spread across several sports.
Northwestern's football coach, Pat Fitzgerald, was initially
suspended then later fired after an investigation. The school
concluded he had a responsibility to know that hazing was occurring
and should have stopped it. Fitzgerald denied wrongdoing and filed a
lawsuit that ended with a settlement last month.
Schill will continue as president until an interim leader is chosen
and will return from a sabbatical as a faculty member at
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, the school said. He also will
work with the Board of Trustees on efforts to restore the
university's frozen federal funding, Northwestern said.
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