Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Laura Kirschstein joined us as Vice Provost for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action on June 5, 2023. In this role, she is responsible for the management of the University's policies and procedures on discrimination, harassment, and sexual assault; and serving as the University’s compliance officer for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and affirmative action laws. To advance our work supporting equity for all members of the community, in the months ahead, Laura will bring the student-facing Gender-Based Misconduct Office to work closely with the faculty and staff-focused EOAA team, pooling their collective strengths in this important work.
Laura comes to us with decades of experience in Title IX, having worked with hundreds of educational institutions, from K-12 to colleges and universities, as well as related organizations in the medical, athletic, and nonprofit fields. Most recently, Laura was Vice President of Investigations for T&M, a firm she joined in 2012, which provides consulting, training, and investigative services to a broad range of institutions. At T&M, Laura has overseen and conducted investigations across a range of subject matter with a vast array of organizations.
She also has extensive experience in the Office of the Attorney General of New York State, as well as the New York County District Attorney’s Office, and recently served as Smith College’s Interim Title IX coordinator. Across various institutions, she has helped to integrate Title IX requirements into policy, and led trainings for faculty, staff, and students.
Laura’s breadth of experience, as well as her deep commitment to equity, position her well for this essential role.
Please join me in welcoming Laura to the Columbia community, and also in thanking Carrie Marlin, Senior Associate Provost for Administration and Planning, for taking on key EOAA leadership responsibilities since Jeri Henry’s departure in December.
Sincerely,
Mary C. Boyce
Provost
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
