Columbia University tapped University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin to be the next president of the Ivy League school, officials announced Sunday night.

The elite university, which has faced intense scrutiny over its handling of hateful anti-Israel protests on the leafy Morningside Heights campus, said Mnookin was selected after an “extensive national search” that was conducted by the institution’s board of trustees and faculty.

Mnookin, who will take over on July 1, will be Columbia’s fourth leader since the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel that sparked a conflict in Gaza and unrest locally.  

The board’s co-chairs praised Mnookin as a leader who “does not shy away from making difficult decisions.”

“Jennifer will be an exceptional leader for Columbia’s future,” David J. Greenwald and Jeh C. Johnson said in a statement.

“She is a distinguished scholar who now leads a complex institution with clarity and vision. She understands the essential role that higher education and research play in advancing knowledge, serving the public good, and addressing our most pressing challenges.

“She is also a keen listener who builds consensus and does not shy away from making difficult decisions when necessary.”

Mnookin said in a statement was “honored and thrilled” to join the university “at this important moment.”

“Columbia is defined by rigorous scholarship, a deep commitment to open inquiry, world-class patient care, and an inseparable and enduring connection to New York City, the greatest city in the world,” she said.

But the school has also faced considerable chaos on campus tied to rowdy anti-Israel protests that gained national attention and criticism from Jewish students and staff that university leaders weren’t doing enough to fight antisemitism.

Protesters set up a sprawling encampment on a campus green and stormed a school building in spring 2024, forcing then-president Minouche Shafik to call in the NYPD each time.

Shafik, who faced backlash over her handling of protests that at times veered off into hateful chants, stepped down in August 2024.

Since then, the school has had a pair of interim presidents, Katrina Armstrong and current acting leader Claire Shipman.

The leader of the school’s Hillel branch, Brian Cohen, said the Jewish center was looking forward to working with Mnookin after “the last few years have been difficult for the Jewish and Israeli communities at Columbia.”

“While challenges remain, there is a vibrant, joyful, proud Jewish community,” he posted on social media.

“I am hopeful that President-elect Mnookin will bring the reputation, experience, and understanding that we need to build on the strong foundation.”

Meanwhile, a coalition of anti-Israel student groups that isn’t recognized by the school, the CU Apartheid Divest, ripped into Mnookin as an official who will “fit in perfectly with the rest of the school’s fascist admin.”

Mnookin, as head of the University of Wisconsin, sent in cops to dismantle an anti-Israel tent city after warning them numerous times to scram in spring 2024.

But when the protesters set up the encampment again, she was part of negotiations to end the encampment without police intervening.

“One of the most fundamental missions of a university is and must be to foster engagement and dialogue across what can often feel like intractable differences,” she said May 2024.

“As we have navigated this past week, I have endeavored to listen to the concerns of the many people we have heard from and the many perspectives that have been represented.”

Mnookin has been president at the Wisconsin college since 2022.