Remarkable economist Minouche Shafik was overjoyed to be named president of one of the most prominent universities in the United States.
However, her name will now be associated with sensational pictures of pro-Palestinian students being detained by New York police on the Columbia University campus.
Shafik, 61, is in the center of a controversy about how she handled the protests that extended to other US campuses less than a year after she assumed the position.
She requested the police to step in twice in as many weeks, first to clear out an encampment on university property and then, on Tuesday, to remove students who had locked themselves inside a school building.
Overnight, striking photos of police officers wearing helmets surrounding the campus and removing pupils from their seats circulated, drawing criticism for Shafik, especially from educators.
Shafik faced criticism prior to Tuesday on two major fronts. Republicans, claiming that Shafik did not adequately safeguard Jewish students on her school, have called for her resignation.
Pro-Palestinian students, meanwhile, charge her with stifling their rallies and inflaming the situation by bringing in the police to control the demonstrations.
