Glenn Hubbard, Dean of Columbia Business School, to Step Down

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:
 
I am writing to share that Glenn Hubbard, Dean of Columbia Business School and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics, will be stepping down as Dean at the end of this academic year. His fifteen years as Dean will be remembered as an historic period during which Columbia Business School was strengthened on every meaningful front and solidified its standing as one of the most celebrated and innovative schools of business in all of higher education. We are indebted to him for his long and productive service to the University and look forward to his continued presence as an esteemed member of our faculty.
 
Dean Hubbard succeeded repeatedly in seizing opportunities for transforming and modernizing Columbia Business School through times that were often turbulent and challenging. Changes in the economy and in the corresponding needs of our students generated a new focus on entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary programs, and led to initiatives such as The Tamer Center for Social Enterprise, the Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy; and the Columbia Startup Lab. New business and political realities produced corresponding curricular innovations. And through his leadership and his persistent efforts, Dean Hubbard increased the number of Business School faculty chairs and professorships, and greatly expanded the amount of financial aid we are able to offer to incoming students. Throughout this period of growth, the School carefully preserved a balance between the realms of real-world practice and scholarly theory, always respecting and enhancing the core academic character of the institution.
 
The most powerful symbol of this progress will become fully visible four years from now when the doors of the Henry R. Kravis Building and the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Business Innovation are opened, and Columbia Business School occupies its new home at the center of the Manhattanville campus.
 
When the Business School marked its centennial in 2016, there was ample reason for celebration and an unmistakable feeling of pride in the School’s capacity to better society by educating future leaders. The Business School community is vibrant, engaged, and energized by its determination to test academic theories and new thinking in practical settings. For that, we thank not only Dean Hubbard, but also a remarkable Board of Overseers led by Henry Kravis ’69 and James Gorman ’87, individuals whose dedication, generosity and shared expertise have been and will remain integral to the success of Columbia Business School.
 
To assist in finding Dean Hubbard’s successor, I will soon convene a committee to assist me in an international search. For now, I simply want to congratulate Glenn on a job well done and to express the University’s deepest gratitude for the devoted and skillful leadership he has long provided to Columbia Business School.
 
Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger