Three-year Northwestern University President Michael Schill announced he will leave his position after the university names an interim president to replace him.

Northwestern University President Michael Schill announced his pending resignation on Thursday and will leave after university officials name an interim replacement. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI UPI

Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Three-year Northwestern University President Michael Schill announced he will leave his position after the university names an interim president to replace him.

Schill said the university has faced "extraordinary challenges" that led to making decisions to strengthen it and safeguard Northwestern's future, he said in his resignation announcement on Thursday.

"In so many ways, Northwestern is on a stronger footing," Schill said. "We have advanced superb teaching and research, reinforced our commitment to academic integrity and free expression, secured record levels of research funding and philanthropy," and made other significant achievements.

He said the university has integrated artificial intelligence and began construction of the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement. "Applications to the university and our national rankings have reached historic highs," he continued, "and our faculty's research continues to advance health, knowledge, artistic and social progress."

Schill's resignation comes amid tensions with the federal government after the Trump administration accused university officials of largely ignoring anti-Semitism by pro-Palestinian protesters targeting Jewish students on its campuses.

The federal government in April froze some $790 million in research funding for the Chicago-area university, while the Brandeis Center, Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish groups have called on Schill to resign after he negotiated with protesters, The New York Times reported.

Schill acknowledged "difficult problems" at the federal level, which includes the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights investigation accusing Northwestern's administration of tolerating "widespread anti-Semitic harassment" during pro-Palestinian protests on its campuses.

The Education Department cited an "explosion of anti-Semitism on American campuses following the massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023," when launching an investigation of Northwestern and four other universities in February.

The Northwestern University Board of Governors said it will name an interim president as soon as possible.

White House spokeswoman Liz Huston on Thursday said the Trump administration "looks forward to working with the new leadership," CNN reported.

"We hope they seize this opportunity to make Northwestern great again," she added.