Announcements

I am writing to announce a new campaign that will be critical to fulfilling Columbia’s core mission and to serving its students, faculty, and the world.  Its name is the Columbia Commitment, and our aim is to raise $5 billion in 5 years. 

I write to announce my appointment of Dr. Jeannette Wing as the Avanessians Director of Columbia’s Data Science Institute and Professor of Computer Science.  Jeannette will report to the president and will lead the University’s research, scholarship, and teaching in data science...

I am pleased to announce my appointment of Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic to the rank of University Professor, our highest academic honor. Professor Vunjak-Novakovic is currently Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering...

Over the past two years, I have been holding discussions among numerous faculty, deans, and distinguished guests all focused on this essential question: How can we at Columbia (and in the academic community more broadly) better connect with the world at-large where laws and policies are made, actions taken, and norms and attitudes shaped?

I write to report that I have asked Jim Valentini, Dean of Columbia College and Vice President for Undergraduate Education, to lead a Steering Group on Mental Health, focused on our undergraduate community.  This group will try to marshal our internal resources from across the University...

I write to share that, at the most recent Trustee meeting, the Trustees voted to divest from companies substantially engaged in thermal coal production.  We also concluded that we should strengthen our existing efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, conduct additional research and policy analysis in the area of global warming and climate change...

Once again, I must write to you about government action negatively affecting our University community. The differences between the new executive order on immigration and refugee policies issued today and the now superseded January order (about which I wrote earlier) may or may not prove significant in the ultimate judicial determination of the order’s legality.

Over the past two weeks, we have been working with several other academic institutions (sixteen, including all Ivy League universities) on an amicus brief that was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York challenging the Executive Order regarding immigrants from seven designated countries and refugees. 

With the executive order issued by President Trump barring admission to the United States of Syrian refugees and imposing a 90-day ban on all immigrant and nonimmigrant entry from seven Muslim-majority nations, the fear so many have had about federal policies being changed in ways that could affect our community has become disturbingly real.
 

I am writing because of concerns for our community arising out of yesterday’s national election. Certainly, not in my lifetime has there been a choice that is embraced by so many while also causing feelings of apprehension and vulnerability among so many others, including many students, faculty, and staff across our diverse University community.

Not quite a century ago, during World War II, members of our academic community joined together to form the Committee for War Relief, which supported the war effort through organizations such as the United War Fund and the American Red Cross.

Peter Awn, Dean of the School of General Studies for the past 20 years, has informed me that he will be stepping down as Dean at the end of this academic year.