Supporting Our Community
Dear members of the Columbia community:
Over the many years that I have spent studying and practicing medicine, I have come to believe that excellence requires both a focus on achieving the best possible outcomes for each person and on doing our best to support their individual journey through complicated and challenging times. I write to you today recognizing the understandable concerns many of you have about the uncertain social and political environment we may face on campus over the next weeks. I want to assure you that the University’s leadership is working together to prepare for this period and to support our community.
I appreciate that, across our diverse community, individuals and groups have had very different experiences over the past year. The terror attack on October 7 and the ensuing war have affected us all, some more personally and more intensely than others. We must all come together to provide the space for people to mourn and to provide the grace required for every one of us to live through this time in an atmosphere of respect and support. I am grateful for the efforts by our fellow Columbia citizens—including our deans, leaders in University Life and Religious Life, and others—to gather communities together, to connect, and to listen.
Above all, we need to build on what we learned over the past year. We should acknowledge the profound impact and significance of the events of last October, and all that followed globally and on our campus. I believe we can do this while also moving forward as a community—a community engaged in learning, respectful of different views, and inspired by the mission and values that brought us all to Columbia. This is a time to rely on our shared purpose, our empathy for one another, and our commitment to Columbia’s future.
While all of us benefit from the support of our classmates and colleagues, I encourage those who may need additional help to seek counseling and other resources during this time. Please reach out to Columbia Health (Morningside, Manhattanville, and Teachers College; in-person, telehealth, and virtual options) or Student Health on Haven (CUIMC students; in-person and telehealth). For faculty and staff, mental health resources are available here. University Life provides additional wellbeing resources and tips. Individual schools also offer support for their students, staff and faculty.
An extraordinary attribute of an academic community devoted to teaching and learning is the capacity to gain knowledge and insight from the past, to make this journey together, and to become a stronger community as a result. I have every confidence that Columbia is poised to demonstrate our leadership in this regard.
All my best,
Katrina Armstrong
Interim President
Columbia University in the City of New York