News
I am now equally pleased to say that Avril Haines will take over as the next Director of Columbia World Projects, as of July 1, 2020. In her current role as Deputy Director, Avril has been the principal architect and supervisor of CWP’s distinctive method for developing and managing projects.
Following the guidance of our public health experts, and pending the approvals from the State to ease stay-at-home orders in New York City, we will gradually allow our faculty and certain graduate students to return to their lab research sites, ensuring, most of all, of course, the safety of our community.
We also have been intensely focused on the general form of our next academic year. We all wish to return to in-person instruction and campus life, and our intent is to make that possible as soon as it is safe to do so. The hard fact is, however, that we just cannot predict now when that moment will arrive. Yet, we can put in place structures that maximize prospects for that outcome and offer meaningful steps along the way.
Wingard will conclude his service as Dean at the end of the academic year.
Now we need to bring our attention to the fall semester and next academic year. The purpose of this message is to say that this process is now underway.
Professor Katznelson will continue serving as Interim Provost through 2020.
President Bollinger announced the first Columbia community deaths due to COVID-19, recognized the incredible work being done by the Medical Center and by frontline workers, and explained how virtual Class Days and Commencement would be handled.
Dr. Rustgi's appointment will begin on July 1, 2020.
I am postponing instruction for the first three days of next week. Classes will continue virtually on Thursday, March 26th. All classes this semester will be graded pass/fail. We cannot go forward with Commencement Ceremonies on May 20, as planned. And, unfortunately, we are not in a position at this moment to announce an alternative plan.
Any student who can leave must leave, by Tuesday, March 17. We must take steps to reduce our research activities to those that are “essential.” We need to close various non-academic areas that bring people together in large groups, such as the gymnasium and our Chapel.
As of Monday, March 16, we are asking only designated personnel who are required to perform essential functions to report to work on-site.
All classes for the remainder of the semester will be conducted online. Students who are able to move out of undergraduate residence halls for the rest of the semester are encouraged to do so.
The person from our community who was exposed to the virus has been tested and the early results are negative. Classes will resume virtually tomorrow. Virtual classes will continue through the week after Spring Break.
Columbia is suspending classes on March 9 and 10 and preparing to shift to remote classes for the remainder of the week.
"I plead with everyone on our campus to be careful and vigilant against legitimate debate turning into anger, then to hatred and demonization, and invidious discrimination," he said.
Bollinger and McRobbie underscore the importance of using paper ballots and of auditing election results in the wake of the voting issues in the Iowa and Nevada caucuses.