Jean Howard, the George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities, was appointed the first vice provost for diversity initiatives in 2004. In 2005, Columbia’s Trustees unanimously committed $15M to attract and retain outstanding underrepresented scholars to the A&S faculty and to address work-life issues. During Howard’s tenure, schools received resources to diversify faculty searches; Columbia’s first Office of Work/Life (OWL) was established; and the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) was developed.
Geraldine Downey, professor of psychology, served as vice provost for diversity initiatives from 2007-2009. Under her leadership, the office extended its efforts to recruit underrepresented faculty across the entire university, and established a program to develop the faculty pipeline.
In 2010, the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives was expanded and renamed the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Planning under Professor and Vice Provost Andrew Davidson. In 2012, Columbia allocated $30M for the University-wide recruitment of women and underrepresented scholars.
Professor Dennis A. Mitchell was recruited in 2014 as Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion, and Columbia announced an additional $33M to support faculty recruitment, pipeline-building, and climate initiatives. In 2017, the University pledged an additional $100M to continue this work, with additional resources for recruitment and retention.
In 2019, the office was expanded and renamed the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, with further emphasis on faculty development and enhanced communications. The Office of Work/Life, under the leadership of Associate Provost Amy Rabinowitz, joined the Faculty Advancement portfolio.
In 2020, Faculty Advancement’s Addressing Racism Initiative included extensive programming and a Seed Grant initiative. The Trustees contributed $300,000 to help fund all submitted faculty projects. President Bollinger shared Columbia’s Commitment to Antiracism and convened a working group of University leaders to improve the experience of students, faculty, and staff. Faculty Diversity Initiative recruitments were accelerated.
In 2021, the Inclusive Faculty Pathways portfolio, including the new Provost Postdoctoral Research Scientist and Scholar Program, was launched under Associate Provost Adina Berrios Brooks. The Columbia University Pathways Programs, a group of colleagues who lead University pathways efforts, was formed.