LOS ANGELES — USC President Carol Folt has had her contract renewed despite criticism from some quarters over her handling of pro-Palestinians demonstrations on campus this spring, the school confirmed Tuesday.

USC did not specify the length of the new contract.

"President Folt's contract remains in full force. Like all university officers, the president is subject to annual review and reappointment, which occurred this last spring," USC said Tuesday in a statement provided to City News Service. "The Board remains pleased with the university's strong direction under President Folt's leadership."

Folt, 72, was appointed USC president in July 2019 on a five-year contract. Prior to that she led the University of North Carolina from 2013-19.

The Akron, Ohio, native earned her bachelor's degree in aquatic biology and a master's degree in biology from UC Santa Barbara, and received a doctorate in ecology from UC Davis.

She earned praise for the school's fund-raising success under her leadership, for her handling of a $1 billion settlement with former students victimized by onetime campus gynecologist George Tyndall, and for her initiatives to make USC more affordable for low-income students.

But along with other university leaders across the country, she came under fire for her handling of the protests that spread across college campuses amid Israel's war with Gaza, which erupted after Hamas attacked Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, 2023.

In May, USC's Academic Senate, which represents the university's faculty, formally censured Folt and Provost Andrew Guzman over their handling of dramatic changes in commencement activities and other responses to campus protests sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.

USC's commencement season was thrown into turmoil in April when Guzman announced that class valedictorian Asna Tabassum would not be permitted to deliver a commencement speech. The decision, for which Guzman cited security concerns, followed complaints that some of Tabassum's pro-Palestinian views on social media rose to the level of antisemitism.

The situation became more inflamed when pro-Palestine protesters attempted to set up an encampment in the university's Alumni Park. USC Department of Public Safety officers moved into the park to confiscate signs and tents that had been erected, noting that they violate campus rules. Hundreds of people subsequently descended in and around the park, and eventually the Los Angeles Police Department officers were summoned, and 93 people were arrested.

The following day, the university canceled all outside speakers at the main stage commencement ceremony, including the bestowing of honorary degrees. The entire main stage ceremony was later canceled altogether, eventually replaced with a graduate family celebration at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.