Provost’s Office Committee Updates

Dear members of the Columbia community,

I hope you have been enjoying the energy and excitement that comes with the start of a new academic year. With the fall semester underway, I am writing to share updates with the community on two University-wide faculty committees.

Academic Freedom Committee

As an institution dedicated to the creation and teaching of knowledge at the highest levels, Columbia is committed to academic freedom. This foundational value supports the open discourse and dialogue necessary to deepen our understanding, produce serious scholarship, and expand the frontiers of knowledge. 

I am pleased to share with you the formation of the Provost's Advisory Committee on Academic Freedom (PACAF). PACAF will focus on how the University can continue to protect and advance academic freedom at Columbia. There is no group more essential for this work than our faculty, whose wisdom, I believe, can help us grapple with both longstanding and emerging challenges. Their careful eye on potential issues can inform our work, assuage concerns, and ensure confidence in our processes. I am grateful to the following faculty members who have agreed to take on this important work:

• Oliver Hobert, Professor of Biological Sciences, of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of Systems Biology (Co-Chair)
• David Pozen, Charles Keller Beekman Professor of Law (Co-Chair)
• Thomas J. Christensen, James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations
• Gil Eyal, Professor of Sociology
• Turkuler Isikel, Associate Professor of Political Science
• Meghan Lane-Fall, E.M. Papper Professor of Anesthesiology; Chair Department of Anesthesiology
• John McWhorter, Associate Professor of Linguistics, Program of Linguistics, Department of Slavic Languages
• Joshua Mitts, David J. Greenwald Professor of Law
• Kerstin M. Perez, Lavine Family Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences in the Department of Physics
   

The committee will be advisory to me and will engage with faculty from across the University and existing campus groups, including the Senate’s Faculty Affairs, Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee, to gather input and ideas and hear concerns. It will share this feedback with University leadership and propose improvements to ensure consistency with our values. You can find the committee’s full charge and submit questions or comments for its consideration here.

Regional Review Committee

When Miguel Urquiola was appointed Senior Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives his first task was to review the portfolio of programs in regional areas across the University, starting with the Middle East.

The primary goal of the review is to ensure that our portfolio of departments and programs continues to engage in world-class scholarship and provide our students with learning experiences and access to leading scholars from across the relevant fields. Miguel has been meeting with numerous colleagues over the summer in furtherance of this work, and is being advised by a committee composed of the following faculty members:

• Lisa Anderson, Special Lecturer in International and Public Affairs; James T. Shotwell Professor Emerita of International Relations; Dean Emerita of the School of International and Public Affairs
• Bruno Bosteels, Dean of Humanities; Jesse and George Siegel Professor in the Humanities, Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures
• Clemence Boulouque, Carl and Bernice Witten Associate Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies, Department of Religion
• Karuna Mantena, Professor of Political Science
• Timothy Mitchell, William B. Ransford Professor of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies 
• Alex Raskolnikov, Wilbur H. Friedman Professor of Tax Law
• Rhiannon Stephens, Professor of History
   

I am most grateful for the expertise and professionalism they contribute, and I look forward to receiving their recommendations.

The committees described above represent some of the extraordinary service that faculty, staff, and students are engaged in on behalf of the University, often in addition to their regular responsibilities. I am tremendously grateful for all that you do as scholars, teachers, colleagues, and institutional citizens. These efforts are part of why I am so proud to be a member of the Columbia community and optimistic about our future. 

Angela V. Olinto
Provost
Rutherfurd Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics