Welcome Back & Updates from the Provost for the Start of the Academic Year

Dear colleagues,

As our campus transforms from summer exploration into a new academic year filled with hope and possibility, I want to add my voice to the many who are welcoming students, faculty, and staff to our community.

Of the new faculty joining us this fall, I’d like to extend a special welcome to President Jennifer Mnookin, JD, PhD, and Professor of Law who joined us as the 21st President of Columbia University on July 1. It has been a great pleasure to get to know Jennifer over the past few months, to learn more about her vision, and to hear her express her unwavering support for our faculty and for the exceptional academic work and research that has distinguished this University for the last two centuries. We are all thrilled to join President Mnookin in building this next glorious chapter in Columbia’s history. 

In addition to President Mnookin are brilliant researchers and teachers from our 18 schools and faculties eager to share with our students their expertise as they expand the boundaries of knowledge. Our faculty are leaders in and across fields whose work spans millennia of human experience, gigayears of the universe, and cutting-edge technologies and therapies to improve lives around the country and the world.   

For our dedicated teaching faculty, this was a special summer as the ability to transition from a Lecturer-in-Discipline to a Professor of Instruction was approved by the Board of Trustees. The title was developed in a broad collaboration among the Office of the Provost, the University Senate, and our school Deans. The new title honors the critical role instructional faculty play in maintaining academic excellence in the teaching of Columbia’s undergraduate and graduate students.

I would also like to take this opportunity to especially thank the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) team who have worked tirelessly this summer to help our community navigate the uncertainty caused by changes to federal visa rules and requirements. As a second-generation international student, I feel deeply for our students contending with what feels like nonstop changes to policies governing their ability to study here in the United States. I remember the humbling challenges of learning a new language and culture, and this additional uncertainty distracts from their laudable efforts to gain greater understanding and knowledge in their fields of study. 

More information about our efforts to support our international students and scholars is below, as are some updates and reminders about initiatives for our faculty and academic mission.

Faculty Resources

• The Becoming Columbia Faculty series kicks off tomorrow, September 1, 2026! It is designed to help new and existing faculty better navigate and tap into central resources while getting to know colleagues from across the University.
• The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning partners with the Columbia teaching community to offer customized support for faculty, including help with CourseWorks, drafting course materials and syllabi, and exploring new teaching strategies. The Center is introducing updated sessions on AI in higher education, Communities of Practice for faculty, and opportunities for instructors to receive feedback on their teaching.
• Through the Columbia University Libraries, faculty can get advice on lowering textbook costs for students by integrating library-licensed eBooks, articles, streaming media, or Open Educational Resources directly into course materials. The libraries also provide access to free digital news and academic journal subscriptions for faculty, students, staff, and retirees. 
   

Faculty Support

• The popular By Faculty, For Faculty meeting series offers opportunities to celebrate achievements, get support for challenges, and spend time over lunch with colleagues. In addition, faculty with ideas for pilot programs, symposia, or panels should reach out to learn about sponsorship opportunities through the Faculty-Led Initiatives program.
• We will continue to convene the Early Career Faculty Advisory Committee to discuss how the Office of the Provost and Columbia's systems, processes, and resources can better serve early career faculty.
• Based on input from faculty, the University Senate, the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Academic Freedom (PACAF), and the Anti-Bullying Task Force, the Office of the Provost is developing a faculty-centered support program. Led by a senior faculty member who will serve as a faculty advisor, the program will provide guidance, consultation, and resource navigation related to workplace conflicts, reporting concerns and processes, leadership dynamics, and other sensitive professional matters.
   

Academic Freedom

• The Provost’s Advisory Committee on Academic Freedom continued to engage with committees, offices, and individuals from across campus and suggested improvements to a number of University processes and procedures that have been or are in the process of being implemented.
• PACAF also recommended that recording policies be extended and, based on discussions with the Research Officers Committee of the Senate and Vice Deans for Research from across our schools, that the academic freedom accorded to Officers of Research be codified. Drafts of these proposals are being developed for discussion with the Senate and University leadership for consideration.
• PACAF has graciously agreed to remain on call for the coming academic year to receive and surface concerns from the community and serve as a consultative body.  
   

International Students and Scholars 

• In mid-July 2026, the federal government changed the rules governing the time period (“duration of status”) certain international students and scholars can remain in the country, moving to fixed-time-period visas, with the possibility of extensions. Columbia, along with a number of other universities, provided a declaration in support of a lawsuit filed by the President's Alliance challenging the rule changes. A dedicated website was established to give guidance on how the changes may impact the international community and webinars will continue to be hosted into the fall.
• In mid-August 2026, federal advisories regarding Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for F-1 visa students limited the circumstances under which CPT authorization is available for our students. ISSO has reached out individually to directly affected students, and a new set of FAQs is now posted addressing these changes.
• Colleagues at the International Students and Scholars Office have released additional advising appointments and are available to help. 
   

Thank you so much for all that you do for Columbia. I feel very fortunate to be starting this new academic year alongside you and spread our light in the months ahead. In Lumine Tuo Videbimus Lumen.

All the best wishes,

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