After a three-year tenure marked by increasing political scrutiny of his campus, Northwestern University president Michael Schill is stepping down.
Schill, who announced his resignation Aug. 4, leaves as the school continues to grapple with the fallout of a roughly $800 million federal funding pause imposed by the Trump administration in April. Nearly four months later, the Big Ten campus just outside Chicago eliminated 425 employee positions, amid similar austerity measures at other colleges due to changing government policies.
Schill led the 174-year-old university during particularly fraught times. A massive hazing scandal prompted the ouster of Northwestern’s longtime, most-winning football coach, Pat Fitzgerald (and a lawsuit). The school reached a settlement with Fitzegerald for an undisclosed amount days before Schill resigned.
Campus demonstrations in 2024 over the Israel-Hamas war also drew criticism from congressional Republicans who accused Schill, who is Jewish, of not doing enough to prevent antisemitism. Some onlookers, on the other hand, viewed Schill’s ability to strike a deal with protesters as a successful model of negotiation.
As with many other high-profile universities, the Trump administration has been withholding research funding for the school for months, accusing the school’s administrators of violating federal civil rights laws in their handling of the 2024 protests. Some schools, including Columbia University and Brown University, have paid multimillion-dollar fines to settle similar allegations and ease federal investigations into their campuses. The University of Virginia’s president, Jim Ryan, stepped down in June amid pressure from the Justice Department.
Faculty members at Northwestern have urged the school not to “give in” to the White House’s demands.
In a statement, Schill said he would stay on in his role until an interim president is in place. He described his tenure as one of both “significant progress” and “extraordinary challenges.”
“In so many ways, Northwestern is on a stronger footing,” he said. “I also recognize that difficult problems remain, particularly at the federal level. It is critical that we continue to protect the University’s research mission and excellence while preserving academic freedom, integrity, and independence.”
