NEW YORK–Columbia University’s acting president defended higher education and acknowledged the absence of Mahmoud Khalil during the school’s commencement ceremony, as pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested outside the school’s main gates.

Columbia University has experienced a significant drop in student enrollment due to ongoing protests over its response to anti-Israel demonstrations. An increasing number of high school seniors accepted to Columbia have reportedly chosen to attend other institutions in response to Columbia’s submission to President Donald Trump’s adminisration.