Strengthening Regional Studies at Columbia

Dear Colleagues,

Last fall I asked Miguel Urquiola, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives, to lead a review of Columbia’s regional studies programs, beginning with the Middle East, and to develop an initial set of recommendations. These recommendations reflect the input shared by the faculty members of the Regional Review Committee assembled to help guide this work:

Lisa Anderson
James T. Shotwell Professor Emerita of International Relations; Dean Emerita of the School of International and Public Affairs; Special Lecturer in the Faculty of International and Public Affairs

Bruno G. Bosteels
Dean of Humanities in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Jesse and George Siegel Professor in the Humanities

Clémence C. Boulouque
Carl and Bernice Witten Associate Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies

Karuna Mantena
Professor of Political Science

Timothy P. Mitchell
William B. Ransford Professor of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies and Professor of International and Public Affairs

Alex Raskolnikov
Wilbur H. Friedman Professor of Tax Law

Rhiannon Stephens
Professor of History

I am grateful to all of them for their time and engagement, and to the many faculty and staff members who contributed their perspectives. This work marks the first phase of a broader, ongoing effort to strengthen regional studies. It also aligns regional studies with University-wide efforts to advance faculty excellence and strengthen scholarship across disciplines. It promises to connect, in new ways, multiple parts of Columbia’s extraordinary global scope.

Below, I describe the goals that shaped this initiative, followed by a summary of the committee’s initial recommendations and the direction they set for our continued work. Together, they call for expanding coursework on the Middle East, reinforcing the faculty base that sustains this work, and exploring new undergraduate academic pathways that complement current offerings. The initial recommendations further highlight the value of stronger coordination across units and programs, along with clearer administrative and governance structures to support long-term vitality in regional and global initiatives.

The initial recommendations have two overarching goals:


1. Expand the range of offerings in the Middle East curriculum, particularly in the social sciences. 

Among the committee’s observations was a recognition that over recent decades, the study of regions has become less of an organizing principle in social science coursework, even as it remained well established in the humanities. This shift reflects broader changes in the quantitative and policy-oriented social sciences, which have moved away from an explicit focus on regional studies. 

At the same time, feedback from across the University points to growing interest in coursework that engages the Middle East through contemporary, policy, and social science perspectives. This interest spans multiple schools, including Columbia College, the School of General Studies, and the School of International and Public Affairs, and highlights an opportunity to expand and strengthen academic offerings in this area.

2. Strengthen coordination among and support for regional centers and institutes.

Columbia’s many regional centers and institutes play an important role in advancing scholarship, teaching, and engagement, but some of the smaller ones have at times experienced diminished momentum. 

As academic priorities evolve, the committee has identified opportunities to strengthen the administrative and programmatic support for several of these units. Greater coordination among regional centers and institutes would help reduce barriers to collaboration, support more consistent programming, and position these units to adapt over time in ways that align with faculty leadership, institutional priorities, and student interests.

This work will help ensure that Columbia’s regional infrastructure remains strong and sustainable, and it will take place alongside existing University-wide groups that support global and regional engagement, including the Committee on Global Thought (CGT), which advances cross-disciplinary and transnational analysis of how global challenges unfold across regions.


With these goals, the committee identified a set of initial recommendations to guide next steps that aim to build on Columbia’s existing strengths. You can review the full set of initial recommendations here.

I am grateful for the committee’s thoughtful work and encouraged by the progress underway. I look forward to continued engagement with faculty and academic leadership across schools and disciplines as we review these initial recommendations and work toward implementing them as appropriate. As always, faculty leadership is essential to our institutional success and flourishing, and I am excited to continue to envision and build that future together. 

Sincerely,

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