Announcements
Building on Our Commitment to Listen and Learn, April 18, 2025
To navigate this moment successfully, we need to activate and mobilize the remarkable wisdom and talent of the entire Columbia community. Read more.
Sustaining Columbia’s Vital Mission, April 14, 2025
Over the past few weeks, days, indeed over the past few hours, you have no doubt seen and heard much about Columbia and the future of higher education. This is an extraordinary and difficult time for our University. Read more.
Listening, Learning, and Starting the Conversation, April 4, 2025
It’s been just under a week since I stepped into this new role. Thank you to all who have taken the time to welcome me and to share your thoughts. I want to take a minute to address some of the key questions I’ve heard this week. Read more.
A Message from Acting President Claire Shipman, March 31, 2025
Today, I write to you in my new capacity as Acting President. I do so with awe for the role, reverence for this institution, and clarity about our challenges. Ornamental language can’t disguise the fact that this is a precarious moment for Columbia University. In serving our community and navigating what’s to come, I pledge to be as transparent as possible, and to work as hard as I can to do right by a place that is so critical to all of us, and to the world. Read more.
Statement Regarding Columbia’s Commitments, March 25, 2025
The past week has been unlike any other in Columbia's history. It has tested our resilience, our civility, and our values. Much has been said about Columbia by people inside and outside of our community, sometimes without full context, including statements attributed to me from internal meetings. I regret any confusion and inconsistent statements and want to make sure our position is clear as we go forward. Read more.
Sharing Progress on Our Priorities, March 21, 2025
As I have shared with you, we have been working this year on critical priorities for our University, which you can find on our “Fulfilling Our Commitments” website. Read more.
Our Next Steps, March 19, 2025
Many of you have seen the March 13th letter we received from U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration outlining preconditions for “continued financial relationships with the United States government.” Read more.
Standing Together for Columbia, March 15, 2025
Over the last months, components of the federal government have announced investigations into our University, creating great concern across our community and the nation. The stakes are high not only for Columbia, but for every college and university in this country. Read more.
Update to Our Community Regarding DHS Activity Tonight, March 13, 2025
I am writing heartbroken to inform you that we had federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security in two University residences tonight. No one was arrested or detained. No items were removed, and no further action was taken. Read more.
Columbia’s Commitment to Our International Community, March 13, 2025
Like most colleges and universities in the United States, Columbia University is home to faculty, staff, and students from all over the world. Some of our community members are on temporary visas; others are green-card holders or naturalized citizens. Read more.
Engaging with our Columbia community, especially our students, is one of the great pleasures of being in the role of Interim President – whether that’s in person at events or via email. Read more.
I want to reiterate the principles that have guided me over my thirty years as a faculty member and are guiding me today. Read more.
I write to you at a challenging moment for our community. Columbia University exists to serve the United States and the world, by teaching, creating, and advancing knowledge. Read more.
Columbia’s mission is to teach, create, and advance knowledge. For over 270 years, that mission has been grounded in an enduring and essential commitment to freedom of expression, open inquiry, and generous, respectful debate. Read more.
Tomorrow, across all three of our northern Manhattan campuses, we will be hosting an AI Summit. The daylong series of events will bring together our University community and distinguished guests to discuss the role of artificial intelligence in today’s society and in creating the future we hope to build. Read more.
With our spring semester underway, educating our students and supporting them at every level of academic progress, from first-year undergraduates to post-doctoral fellows, has again taken center stage at Columbia. Read more.
In September, I announced the creation of a President’s Advisory Committee on Institutional Voice to provide me with a set of recommendations on the proper role of institutional voice in advancing Columbia’s academic mission and its commitment to open inquiry and free expression. I am writing now with an update on this critical work. Read more.
The challenges we face in this moment are no secret. Along with other leaders of our University, I have been traveling to Capitol Hill to advocate for Columbia and for higher education with members of Congress who are shaping the future of our nation. Read more.
In response to the recent memo from the Office of Management and Budget pausing federal funding, I want to take a moment to reiterate our unwavering commitment to the core mission and principles that define us. Read more.
We have made progress toward the goal of fully reopening the Morningside campus and moving beyond access requirements, but we still have more work to do. Read more.