Announcing the Formation of a Task Force on Shared Governance

Dear members of the Columbia community:

I’d like to offer an update on the recent, collaborative process to review our University Senate and shared governance structures. I am deeply appreciative of the Senate Review Committee’s recent report and recommendations for how we might work together to advance Columbia’s mission. Consistent with those recommendations, I write to announce the creation of the Task Force on Shared Governance, introduce its co-chairs, and share information about the Task Force’s charge. I also want to provide an opportunity for our community to contribute ideas and make suggestions about additional members. President-Designate Jennifer L. Mnookin will then carry the rest of this important work forward.

The Task Force will be co-chaired by two deeply respected members of our community, Adam J. Kosto, James R. Barker Professor of Contemporary Civilization in the Department of History and co-director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research and Policy, and Daniel Abebe, Columbia Law School dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law.

Professor Kosto has been a member of the Columbia faculty since 1997 and specializes in the institutional and legal history of medieval Europe. Dean Abebe became the 16th dean of Columbia Law School in August 2024. His scholarship centers on the relationship between U.S. foreign affairs law and public international law, and he most recently co-chaired the President’s Advisory Committee on Institutional Voice. We are fortunate to have scholars of Dean Abebe’s and Professor Kosto’s stature and expertise leading this Task Force.

This Task Force’s charge was defined by the Senate Review Committee, which called for a review and clarification of the Senate’s duties and powers, noting the confusion that has accumulated over time and the lack of clarity provided by the University Statutes. More broadly, the Task Force is being asked to consider these matters in the context of Columbia’s full range of shared governance structures. While further details on the Task Force’s mandate, timeline, and process will be shared later this summer, what should remain constant throughout is the spirit of the undertaking: the hope that we can build on our existing shared governance strengths in ways that will ensure Columbia is well situated to flourish in the years ahead. Key to this will be a process that provides opportunities for broad engagement and leaves our community with a clearer, shared understanding of how we can best do our work together.

The Task Force will comprise a small group of tenured Columbia faculty. Before considering or naming additional Task Force members, President-Designate Mnookin and I both believe that it will be valuable to get input from the University Senate, our deans, the provost, additional faculty governance organizations, and others in our community. That process starts today, with an invitation for interested community members to suggest candidates (or, for tenured faculty, to self-nominate) for the Task Force and, more broadly, to share your thoughts on the work itself. We value your suggestions, and all contributions will be reviewed and taken seriously. President-Designate Mnookin will announce the complete membership of the Task Force later this summer. 

I am glad to leave the leadership of this Task Force in the capable hands of Professor Kosto and Dean Abebe. It has been a privilege to work alongside the University Senate. At its best, shared governance allows us to draw on the full breadth of expertise and judgment this institution holds and bring it to bear on the work we all care about. I look forward to seeing what this community builds.

Sincerely,

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