Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:
Following my March message regarding David Madigan’s decision to return to his academic pursuits at the end of the summer, I write to announce my appointment of Maya Tolstoy, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, as Interim Executive Vice President for Arts and Sciences, effective September 1, 2018.
A renowned marine geophysicist, Professor Tolstoy’s expertise lies in ocean bottom seismology and hydroacoustic monitoring of the oceans. In addition to her groundbreaking research and highly regarded teaching and advising, Maya is deeply committed to bettering our institutional community. She has served on the Columbia University Senate, as Co-Chair of the Senate’s Commission on the Status of Women, and as a vital member of a variety of task forces on diversity and inclusion. And, she has just completed her term as Chair of the Arts and Sciences Policy and Planning Committee, the body which represents the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to University leadership. Throughout two decades at Columbia, Maya has garnered deep respect and esteem from her colleagues—for her scholarship, for her commitment to shared faculty governance, and for the diplomacy, integrity, and inclusive leadership she exhibits at every turn.
I will soon form a search committee for our next Executive Vice President for Arts and Sciences and announce a process for nominating candidates to the position. I am grateful to Maya for accepting this interim appointment as the search proceeds.
Sincerely,
Lee C. Bollinger