Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:
I want to reiterate the principles that have guided me over my thirty years as a faculty member and are guiding me today.
First, I stand by my students, all of my students. I support their right to express their views and to participate in open and respectful dialogue and debate. I feel the same responsibility for the wellbeing of all Columbia students as I do for my patients as their doctor. There is nothing more important to me.
Second, in this nation, universities are the touchstone for humanistic values, including intellectual freedom, personal responsibility, pursuit of excellence, and respect for all. No university can stand if it is willing to sacrifice those values.
Third, a great institution, and particularly a great university, depends upon an unwavering commitment to following fair and just processes, no matter the internal and external pressures.
Over the last months, I have worked every day to guide our community based upon these principles, seeking to forge understanding out of discord and collaboration out of conflict. I have no doubt that the days and weeks ahead are going to be extremely difficult. The best I can promise is that I will never stray from these principles and that I will work tirelessly to defend our remarkable, singular institution.
Best,
Katrina Armstrong
Interim President, Columbia University in the City of New York
