Northwestern University President Michael Schill Announces Resignation

CHICAGO, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Michael Schill, who has led Northwestern University for the past three years, announced Thursday that he will step down as president amid ongoing financial and political pressures. Schill’s decision follows a Trump administration freeze on nearly $800 million in federal research funding, which the university says has forced budget cuts and layoffs.

In a statement, Schill said that “now is the appropriate moment for fresh leadership to steer Northwestern towards its future,” and confirmed he will remain in office until an interim president is appointed. He emphasized the need to “safeguard the university’s research mission and excellence while upholding academic freedom, integrity, and autonomy.”

The funding freeze, imposed in April, was part of a broader Republican-led investigation into how universities handled antisemitism during campus protests related to the Gaza conflict. Northwestern negotiated a nonviolent resolution to a pro-Palestinian encampment in April 2024, a move that drew criticism from both conservative lawmakers and the Trump administration.

Liz Huston, a White House spokesperson, said the administration “anticipates collaborating with the new leadership” at Northwestern as it seeks to restore federal support. Schill will take a sabbatical after stepping down and then return to the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law as a faculty member.