Columbia University announced Monday that it has selected a new president who will begin her term in July 2026.

"Columbia University’s Board of Trustees has appointed Jennifer L. Mnookin, a nationally recognized legal scholar who serves as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, to be the next president of Columbia University, effective July 1, 2026," a Monday announcement from Columbia University read. "The appointment concludes an extensive national search led by a committee of trustees and faculty, who sought input from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other members of the Columbia community." 

Before becoming the chancellor at UW-Madison, Mnookin was previously the dean of the UCLA School of Law, spending 17 years on the faculty, and prior to that was a professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law and a visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School.

TRUMP'S DOJ PRESSURING UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA TO AXE ITS PRESIDENT OVER DEI PROGRAMS: REPORT

Mnookin’s biography page on the University of Wisconsin–Madison website says she is "dedicated to pushing boundaries to bring the university to new levels of excellence in research and education."

In 2025, Mnookin told The New York Times that colleges had placed too much emphasis on identity diversity, saying, "I think that many universities, not all, but many, were for a period of time deeply focused on identity diversity, and really not so focused on viewpoint diversity or belief diversity."

She added, "I think there’s a danger of a pendulum swinging too far in the other direction, and we need to worry about that. But I think universities should be spaces where ideas, and different ideas, embodied by people from different backgrounds, come together, and where it won’t always be comfortable, but where we will learn and do better from that engagement."

Earlier in 2025, Mnookin announced that the university’s Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement would "sunset as a freestanding division," and that the office would be "relocated to the Division for Teaching and Learning, along with the leaders and academic advisors supporting this work."

JEWISH STUDENT SETTLES RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION SUIT AGAINST COLUMBIA

Federal campaign finance records show that Mnookin donated to Democratic campaigns, including $2,000 to former President Barack Obama in 2008, $500 to former President Joe Biden in 2020 and $250 to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Mnookin was also outspoken in her support for the Black Lives Movement in 2020 when she was the dean at UCLA Law.

"As members of a law school community in particular, we must recognize and grapple with the complicity of the legal system and law enforcement in acts of racism and violence. These recent horrifying instances are, sadly, not aberrations; our legal system has been part and parcel of our nation’s shameful history of institutionalized racism," she wrote. 

Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R., who had been critical of Mnookin, thanked her for her service in a Monday statement. 

"I want to thank Chancellor Mnookin for her service to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and applaud her commitment to the students," Vos said. 

"Chancellor Mnookin had many great accomplishments during her tenure, such as bringing more free speech to campus and closing its division of DEI," Vos added. "I enjoyed working with her as we both wanted students to reach their full potential and have a successful and impactful life after graduation."

Mnookin’s appointment comes as Columbia continues to face heightened federal scrutiny.

In July, President Donald Trump struck a $221 million settlement with Columbia University to resolve various federal civil rights investigations, including allegations of discriminatory practices and claims of antisemitic employment discrimination against Jewish faculty following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Mnookin didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Police in Minnesota began arresting anti-ICE agitators outside a hotel Monday after authorities said the demonstration escalated and was "no longer considered peaceful," prompting officers to declare an unlawful assembly.

The demonstrators were outside the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Maple Grove, Minnesota, where they believed U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was staying.

President Donald Trump announced Bovino and many of his agents would be leaving Minneapolis as part of a reshuffling of leadership in carrying out his immigration crackdown amid bipartisan scrutiny over the immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis that intensified after agents killed an American recording Border Patrol activity over the weekend.

Border Czar Tom Homan is expected to now lead the effort in the state.

LEAVITT SAYS TRUMP SPOKE TO WALZ, DEMANDS MINNESOTA 'WORK TOGETHER PEACEFULLY' WITH ICE: 'LET COPS BE COPS'

Maple Grove police said officers responded on Monday to reports of a protest at the hotel and that the protest escalated when agitators allegedly began throwing objects at officers and damaging property.

After police declared an unlawful assembly and issued a dispersal order, several people who refused to leave were arrested, authorities said.

"The Maple Grove Police Department respects and upholds the First Amendment rights of individuals to peacefully assemble and express their views. Our priority remains the safety and security of all residents, visitors, and property within our community," a spokesperson for the police department said in a statement to KSTP.

"At that point, the activity was no longer considered peaceful. Individuals participating in criminal acts are not protected under the First Amendment and were subject to arrest," the spokesperson added.

ANTI-ICE AGITATORS CLASH WITH FEDERAL AGENTS AT MINNEAPOLIS HOTEL, AGENTS DEPLOY TEAR GAS, FLASHBANGS

The Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and Hennepin Public Order Group all responded to the scene to assist Maple Grove officers.

The move to pull Bovino from Minneapolis came after he had faced backlash over his unsubstantiated claims that Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old U.S. citizen killed by Border Patrol agents, intended to "massacre" law enforcement, a characterization the White House has distanced the president from.

Pretti was shot and killed on Saturday by Border Patrol agents while recording federal immigration operations in Minneapolis. An ICU nurse, Pretti appeared to be attempting to attend to a woman agents knocked down when he was sprayed with an irritant, pushed to the ground and beaten. An agent was seen pulling Pretti's gun from his waistband before other agents fired several shots and killed him.

Some reports stated Bovino was removed from his role as Border Patrol "commander-at-large" and will return to his former job as chief patrol agent in El Centro, California, but Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said he has "NOT been relieved of his duties" and remains a "key part of the President's team."

Bovino also reportedly had access to his social media accounts stripped over his public comments.

The White House also sought to distance itself from comments by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who called Pretti a "domestic terrorist," and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, who labeled the man as a "would-be assassin," with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying she has "not heard the president characterize" Pretti that way.

The shooting of Pretti followed recent unrest over the ICE-involved killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this month.