Sharing My Deepest Gratitude for Our Extraordinary Community

Dear members of the Columbia community:

After one of our commencement ceremonies in May, a faculty member pulled me aside and told me something I’ve since been turning over in my mind. For the first time in a long while, he said, it feels possible to dream about Columbia again.

The fact that we have that ability is, in my view, a testament to this entire community—to its stubborn love for this institution and its willingness, step by step, to put that love to work.

The term “community” can be overused, so much so that it risks losing its meaning. But Columbia’s brilliant, diverse, unusually generous and always demanding slice of humanity is exceptional; its positive friction (as I like to call it) pushes us beyond what anybody believes possible.

The Columbia community can be intense, yes. And that’s a good thing.

Our shared passion—whether we are students, faculty, staff, researchers, administrators, board members, or alumni—runs through all of my experiences over the last 14 months. It is our connective tissue, even when our convictions pull in different directions. Columbia’s vast promise—its power to do good, its ability to be transformative—generates deep feelings because it matters to us. We can and do expect a lot.

The role of Columbia’s acting president is one I never expected to hold. (I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve said that during my tenure.) But it has been a distinct honor and one I will always cherish. It’s also been packed with no shortage of memorable moments, some harrowing, but many, many more of them remarkably affirming.

I am grateful to everyone—and there are so many of you—who helped our university navigate the year, simply stepping in to do the work: listening, advising, questioning, planning, challenging, and solving. You showed up for Columbia when Columbia needed you.

Not once when I asked for help—for a conversation, for advice, or for time—did anybody say no. I experienced more generosity of spirit personally, and institutionally, than I ever could have imagined. I want to say a particular word of thanks to my wife, who steadfastly supported me and the institution with wisdom and enthusiasm, and to my children, who brought humor and love exactly when needed.

For some time, we’ve had no choice but to keep our eyes on the challenges directly in front of us, as our campus grappled with internal divisions and external pressures. We had to attend to the immediate, the urgent, the necessary. That work, of course, isn’t finished. Such is the nature of things. Still, as I pass this baton to our exceptional new president, and think back to that faculty member’s words, I hope we can shift our focus—once again lift our gaze. We can, and in fact must, dream once again about what Columbia can be, what Columbia can contribute, and what each of us can do in service of that future. It’s time.

I am immensely proud of and thankful for what we have done together, and I feel great confidence in Columbia’s next chapter. Jennifer Mnookin is a scholar of the first order and a leader of uncommon judgment, clarity, and vision. Having spent a lot of time with her over the last few months, she is also, most importantly, a wonderful human who intuitively “gets” Columbia. I know the university will benefit in countless ways from her stewardship in the next great chapter of this institution.

I’m left with such excitement for what comes next, knowing that it will be constrained only by the limits of what we can dream.

With my gratitude,

Claire Shipman
Acting President, Columbia University in the City of New York