A Guide to the Office of the Senior Vice Provost

The Office of the Senior Vice Provost advances the Office of the Provost’s mission by propelling excellence in teaching and learning, promoting global engagement, and supporting administration and planning.

  • It promotes excellence in teaching and learning through the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation and the Center for Teaching and Learning, and spearheads initiatives to expand the University’s online and hybrid offerings, including Columbia+, Columbia University’s online platform for engaging alumni and learners from around the world.
  • It advances international engagement through developing and supporting global partnerships; assists international students, faculty, and researchers, and their families, throughout their time at Columbia; and provides pre-travel, operational, and emergency support to allow affiliates to focus on teaching, research, and learning abroad.
  • It supports many aspects of academic management of the University, including administrative planning, space planning, faculty housing, and K-12 schooling, and provides support to the Provost’s Office financial commitments and Human Resources support for employees of the Office of the Provost.

It also has direct oversight of several units that report to the Office of the Provost.

Key Responsibilities

OSVP oversees the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (OTLI), the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), the annual Provost’s Teaching and Learning RFPs, the Provost’s Conversations on Online Learning series (PCoOL), and the Science of Learning Research (SOLER) Initiative.

At individual schools, Education Deans often work closely with the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation.

vptli.columbia.edu
ctl.columbia.edu
soler.columbia.edu
online.columbia.edu

Columbia+ is Columbia University’s online platform to engage alumni and learners from around the world through non-degree non-credit courses, events (live-streamed and recorded) and podcasts. Columbia+ also provides guidance, resources, and services to schools to leverage online technologies, brings executive education opportunities for schools, and facilitates collaborations to meet needs of corporations and governments. 

plus.columbia.edu 

OSVP promotes international engagement that enriches teaching and research through developing global partnerships, and oversees the Alliance Program and The Italian Academy.

The Office supports international students, faculty, researchers, visiting faculty, and their families, both as they prepare to arrive and while at Columbia, including providing operational support for research and teaching abroad. The Office oversees the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO), which supports all international students and scholars with immigration-related needs, providing advisory and documentation services and information on a host of issues, including—but not limited to—visas, employment, travel, and tax-filing obligations. ISSO also supports the academic and professional success of all of Columbia’s international students, by offering professional development and student life programming to help international students make the most of their time at Columbia.

OSVP partners closely with the Office of Global Travel to set and administer global travel policies, including the University’s International Travel Planning Policy, and to provide tools for pre-trip planning to ensure the safety and well-being of affiliates during travel abroad. In close consultation with senior leadership, OSVP directs protocols for supporting affiliates in the instance of domestic and international emergencies.

At individual schools, Deans as well as Deans of Education often work with the OSVP on issues related to global academic partnerships. Education Deans and Deans of Students work with OSVP on issues related to international student services.

isso.columbia.edu
globaltravel.columbia.edu
universitypolicies.columbia.edu/content/international-travel-planning-policy

OSVP advances the Office of the Provost’s mission to recruit and retain excellent faculty through the administration of the University’s faculty housing policy and oversight of programs that support faculty members’ external housing needs, including the Housing Assistance Program’s income supplement, forgivable loan, and shared appreciation second mortgage offerings and the Housing Mobility Program.

OVSP supports the Provost’s allocation of senior faculty housing through work on the Housing Priorities Committee, which the Provost chairs, and through close work with Columbia Residential.

At individual schools, Deans as well as Vice Deans of Faculty Affairs may work with the OSVP on faculty housing issues.

provost.columbia.edu/content/faculty-housing-policies-and-programs

OSVP manages key relationships related to early childhood through 12th grade schooling, including oversight of Tompkins Hall Nursery and Childcare Center, which serves children age three months to five years old, and shared oversight with the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Programs of The School at Columbia University, which serves a mix of Columbia-affiliated and neighborhood families with students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

OSVP also liaises with NYC Department of Education’s Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science, and Engineering and works with internal units on programs and projects with the school.

For other child care and schooling matters, please visit the Office of Work/Life.

At individual schools, the Vice Deans of Faculty Affairs are the point of contact for faculty schooling-related issues.

tompkinshall.columbia.edu
theschool.columbia.edu

OSVP supports the Provost in working with University leadership to advance space planning and programming. The team also coordinates, in partnership with academic units and Human Resources, efforts to enable excellence in all we do for student employees at the University. 

studentbenefits.provost.columbia.edu

OSVP oversees the Provost’s Office Budget and Financial Operations as well as all Human Resources support for Provost's Office employees, including assistance with leaves, hiring, and other Human Resources needs. OSVP also provides Financial and HR support to the various reporting units which include but are not limited to: Alliance, Chaplaincy, EOAA, ISSO, Italian Academy, Journal of Philosophy, Office of Work/Life, Senate, Tompkins Hall, University Professors, and University Seminars.

At individual schools, Deans and their Senior Business Officers are the points of contact with OSVP for issues related to administration, planning, and financial management.

Resources

Key Contacts