NEW YORK, NY—Interim President Katrina Armstrong of Columbia University announced today that she is stepping down from her current position on a particularly wobbly ladder outside of Low Library, effective April 1, 2025.
The ladder was placed outside Low Library in January to allow President Armstrong to enter and exit her office without using the front entrance or the elevator. She stated that dealing with the near-constant watch of Allied Universal Securities was “too much of a hassle.” Columbia’s Facilities and Operations team stationed the 16-foot wooden ladder directly below Armstrong’s window, providing the Interim President with round-the-clock access to the ground. Last week was the first time in the almost two months since its installation that the Interim President used the ladder, citing the unseasonably warm weather on campus. However, eyewitnesses reported seeing Armstrong “stuck” between the eighth and seventh rungs. The interim President was seen white-knuckling the sides of the ladder and making audible gulps as she looked down.
“I was running late to Music Hum when all the sudden I heard a sort of shuddery weeping coming from Low,” Sam Huntzor, CC ‘25, reported to the Colombia Spectador. “When I turned the corner, I saw Armstrong up on that ladder, sort of like a little kitten stuck in a really tall tree. I could’ve called Public Safety, but I thought it would be way funnier if I posted a pic of her on my IG Close Friends instead.”
After six days and a lot of coaxing, Armstrong successfully stepped down from the ladder. The Board of Trustees announced that the President had made contact with the earth at approximately 1:05 PM. on April 1, 2025. “As I stepped off of the ladder, I became acutely aware of the distance that had grown between myself and the ground,” Armstrong wrote in a community-wide email. “In this way, I also became acutely aware of the divisions currently threatening our campus culture.”
In acknowledging Armstrong’s significant accomplishments for the University, the Board of Trustees expressed gratitude that Dr. Armstrong had agreed to step up (and then back down) to her tasks as Interim President. Armstrong thanked the Board of Trustees for their continued support. She is the third Columbia University president to “step down” in the last two years.
