A Message from Katrina Armstrong

Dear members of the Columbia community,

I am deeply honored to be called to serve as Interim President of our beloved institution. This role comes at a pivotal moment for Columbia, and I am excited and humbled by the opportunity to contribute to our collective journey. With profound respect for Columbia’s storied history and an unwavering commitment to its future, I look forward to working with you to achieve our shared goals.

Challenging times present both the opportunity and the responsibility for serious leadership to emerge from every group and individual within a community. This is such a time at Columbia. As I step into this role, I am acutely aware of the trials the University has faced over the past year. We should neither understate their significance, nor allow them to define who we are and what we will become. The familiar excitement and promise of a new academic year are informed this year by the presence of change and continuing concerns, but also by the immense opportunity to look forward, to join together for the laudable mission we are here to serve, and to become our best selves individually and institutionally. Never has it been more important to train leaders capable of elevating society and addressing the complexity of modern life. Columbia University has a long history of meeting the moment, and I have faith that we will do so once again. I ask each of you to join me in this critically important work fueled by the enthusiasm for what we can accomplish together. Through our collective effort, I am confident we will succeed.

Much of this work will fall to the Columbia faculty. You are the ultimate keepers of the institution’s values and the stewards of its long and proud history. The habit of critical thinking and humility that gives birth to tolerance of contrary points of view is the most essential lesson taught in Columbia's classrooms and the intellectual common ground that unifies the many scholarly pursuits found across our campuses. Physicians learn this philosophical approach quickly as it can often be the difference between life and death. My leadership of Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) has been grounded in consistent engagement with the entire faculty across all four schools, and that will again be the case during my time as your Interim University President.

I assume this role able to stand on the shoulders of our two most recent presidents, Minouche Shafik and Lee C. Bollinger, whose dedication to Columbia is boundless, and I take comfort in knowing they will be available to me and to Columbia going forward. The University exists because of the love for the institution expressed and the contributions made by countless talented individuals over many decades, particularly our faithful alumni. First among these, in my experience, is P. Roy Vagelos, a visionary leader and supremely generous benefactor, whose friendship I have relied on throughout my time at Columbia and whom I must recognize and thank here.

I have been privileged to spend my professional life at the greatest research universities in the United States, serving as a teacher, researcher, attending physician, department chair, administrative leader, dean, and, most recently, head of CUIMC, one of the nation’s greatest academic medical centers. I fully appreciate the profound responsibility of meeting the needs of the many constituencies that make Columbia University the renowned leader in higher education that it is. With optimism and resolve, let us move forward together, embracing the opportunity to renew our vision and strengthen our community.

All my best,

Katrina A. Armstrong
Interim President