A Message from the Board of Trustees of Columbia University

To the members of the Columbia community:

The Board of Trustees regretfully accepts Minouche Shafik’s decision to step down as president of the University. Minouche has contributed so much to the Columbia community in an extraordinarily challenging time and has been a wonderful colleague and friend. While we are disappointed to see her leave us, we understand and respect her decision.

In this difficult year, Minouche has worked, inspired, and led tirelessly. Her wisdom, empathy, and deep commitment to our community have guided us through challenges that are both unique in scale and unique to this moment. She achieved significant accomplishments for the University, including a set of strategic initiatives on academic excellence, operational efficiency, and community designed to help our institution flourish. She has recruited outstanding talent to Columbia: our new provost, new chief operating officer, deans of the schools of Law and the Arts, and our director of the Data Science Institute. Minouche also appointed the University’s first ever chief climate officer, embedding a commitment to sustainability and climate action into all aspects of Columbia’s work. We are grateful for all she has done and thankful for the support she has pledged during the transition to a new president. On behalf of the Columbia community, we wish Minouche the very best in her future endeavors.

At this critical time for Columbia, we are taking all necessary steps to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Most importantly, we are very pleased to announce that Dr. Katrina Armstrong has agreed to serve as our interim president.

Katrina is well-known to the Columbia community. Since arriving as chief executive officer of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences, and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, she has transformed the health sciences at Columbia. As you may know, CUIMC is comprised of four schools: Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Mailman School of Public Health, School of Nursing, and the College of Dental Medicine. Already, the recently launched Vagelos Institute for Biomedical Research Education has created an academic model and research environment that demonstrates a dedication to bold experimentation and a focus on solving long-standing medical problems. During her career at Harvard University, the Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Pennsylvania, and now here at Columbia, Katrina has distinguished herself as a physician, investigator, teacher, and leader with a unique ability to listen actively to all voices, incorporate lessons from across disciplines, advance innovative teaching that positions learners of all backgrounds for success, and bring together teams from across communities to work together toward a common purpose. Authentic and direct, she has exhibited exemplary, values-driven leadership while managing the largest and most complex division of our University.

Katrina brings a truly exceptional skillset to our University and our current challenges. She is a medical leader who cares deeply about community and society–a scientist and a humanist. She has spent decades involved in rigorous and innovative research to transform our understanding of cancer, genomics, and health care disparities. She has analyzed the roles that segregation, discrimination, and distrust play in the health of marginalized populations. Katrina’s most recent investigations have looked at health disparities in rural areas and include partnerships with Lakota tribal communities and organizations in western South Dakota. And, most recently at Columbia, she has turned her focus to the nation’s mental health challenge. She is committed to the evolution of ever-deepening knowledge related to human health, the human condition, and society at large.

We believe that Katrina is the right leader for this moment. We are grateful to her for stepping in, and we call on our community to support her. As we look ahead to the new term and beyond, let’s all recommit to the core mission of Columbia, as one of the world’s premier educational and research institutions: teaching the next generation of leaders, and pushing the boundaries of knowledge to have the greatest impact on the world around us.

Sincerely,

David Greenwald and Claire Shipman
Co-Chairs, on behalf of the Trustees of Columbia University