Search Committee Meets With Advisory Committee Members and Announces Results From Community-Wide Survey

As part of an effort to establish an inclusive and collaborative search for Columbia’s new president, the university is this week completing a series of meetings with four Advisory Committees representing faculty, students, staff, and alumni and released the results of a summer survey focused on priorities for the institution and its future leadership.

These developments are part of the search process launched by Columbia’s Board of Trustees after President Lee C. Bollinger announced that he will step down at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.

“We are so grateful to have the insight from so many different members of our community,” said Lisa Carnoy, who along with Jonathan Lavine, leads the Presidential Search Committee. “We are optimistic that this wide variety of perspectives will only enhance our efforts to find Columbia’s next president.”  

Presidential Search Advisory Committees

Established earlier in the summer, and fully operational for the past month, the Advisory Committees are helping the Presidential Search Committee better understand Columbia’s future opportunities and challenges, as well as the questions and qualities that the Search Committee members should have foremost in mind in evaluating nominees for the presidency.  

Each committee will deliver a summary of key themes, priorities, and potential questions to the Search Committee Chair in September. As of this week, members of the search committee will have met with each of the advisory groups to hear their advice and answer questions on the search process to date. 

Student Advisory Committee Co-Chairs

• Erin McKissick, Columbia Law School
• Jennifer Egbebike, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Faculty Advisory Committee Co-Chairs

• Wendy Chung, Kennedy Family Professor of Pediatrics (in Medicine); Chief, Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics
• Marcus Folch, Associate Professor of Classics and Director of Undergraduate Studies

Staff Advisory Committee Co-Chairs

• Adina Berrios Brooks, Associate Provost for Inclusive Faculty Pathways, Office of the Provost
• Katie Conway, Vice Dean of Administration and Chief Operating Officer, Columbia Business School

Alumni Advisory Committee Co-Chairs

• James Harden, Executive, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia Business School)
• Alisa Wood, Partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) (Columbia College and Columbia Business School)

The full list of committee members is below.

Community-Wide Survey Responses

As one input into the search process, nearly 2,300 individuals took part in the online survey between June 6 and 24, 2022. In aggregate, survey respondents are looking for a leader who prioritizes cutting-edge research and scholarship and recruiting and retaining excellent faculty. They want someone with experience leading a complex organization who will strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion. Other key attributes include a forward-looking, creative, and innovative thinker who cares about student well-being. 

Among those surveyed, a majority of staff, alumni, undergraduate students, and parents ranked leadership of complex organizations as the experience they want their next president to have. More than half of faculty who responded prioritized a need for someone who understands research and scholarship, while graduate students and neighbors were most interested in a leader with experience in strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion.  An overwhelming majority of those who took the survey (74%) reported that what makes Columbia special is its academic excellence. 

Full List of Advisory Committee Members

Student Advisory Committee

• Thomas Chen, School of General Studies
• Ashley Cole, Jr., School of Social Work
• Valeria Contreras, School of the Arts and University Senate
• Alejandro Cuadrado, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• Kaitlyn Davis, Columbia College
• Jennifer Egbebike (co-chair), Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
• Max Goldner, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• Jordan Gonsalves, Graduate School of Journalism
• Sana Lalani, Mailman School of Public Health
• Caitlin Lasher, School of Professional Studies
• Courtney Manning, School of International and Public Affairs
• Erin McKissick (co-chair), Columbia Law School
• Edward Patterson, Columbia Business School
• Kennedy Salamat, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
• Rachel Utomo, College of Dental Medicine
• Charles Wallace, Columbia College
• Ian West, School of Nursing
• Tanya Wiedeking, Climate School

Faculty Advisory Committee

• Carri Chan, John A. Howard Professor of Business, Division of Decision, Risk, and Operations; Faculty Director, Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program
• Wendy Chung (co-chair), Kennedy Family Professor of Pediatrics (in Medicine); Chief, Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics
• Elizabeth Corwin, Anna C. Maxwell Professor of Nursing Research (in Nursing); Vice Dean, Strategic & Innovative Research
• Nabila El-Bassel, University Professor and Willma and Albert Musher Professor of Social Work
• Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Program Director, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution; Professor of Practice; Vice Chair of Faculty, School of Professional Studies
• Marcus Folch (co-chair), Associate Professor of Classics; Director of Undergraduate Studies
• Roseanna Graham, James Winston Benfield Associate Professor of Operative Dentistry (in Dental Medicine); Director of the Division of Operative Dentistry
• Mark Hansen, David and Helen Gurley Brown Professor of Journalism and Innovation; Director, David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute of Media Innovation
• David Henry Hwang, Professor of Theatre
• Olatunde Johnson, Jerome B. Sherman Professor of Law
• Terry McGovern, Harriet and Robert H. Heilbrunn Professor and Chair of Population and Family Health
• Tamar Mitts, Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs
• Jorge Otero-Pailos, Professor of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; Director MS and PhD Historic Preservation Programs
• Ah-Hyung (Alissa) Park, Lenfest Earth Institute Professor of Climate Change, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science; Chair, Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering; Director, Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, Columbia Climate School
• Jutta Schmiers-Heller, Senior Lecturer in German, Director of the German Language Program
• Rhiannon Stephens, Associate Professor of History
• Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, University Professor and Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering
• William Allen Zajc, I.I. Rabi Professor of Physics, Department of Physics

Staff Advisory Group

• Melanie Bernitz, Senior Vice President, Columbia Health
• Adina Berrios Brooks (co-chair), Associate Provost for Inclusive Faculty Pathways, Office of the Provost
• Elizabeth Braden, Associate Vice President, HR Systems, Planning and Operations, Columbia Human Resources
• Ryan Cairns, Associate Dean for Alumni and Development, Columbia Law School
• Angel Cherpanath, Director of Finance and Administration, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
• Katie Conway (co-chair), Vice Dean of Administration and Chief Operating Officer, Columbia Business School
• Zelon Crawford, Senior Associate Dean, Student Affairs, School of Professional Studies
• Christopher Cronin, Associate University Librarian for Collections, Columbia University Libraries
• Alan Crosswell, Associate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Columbia University Information Technology
• Jessica Fenton, Associate General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel
• Linara Davison Greenidge, Associate Dean for Communications Strategy, Development and Alumni Affairs, School of Social Work
• Victoria Hamilton, Executive Director, Office of Research Initiatives and Development, Research Compliance
• Orin Herskowitz, Senior Vice President for Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer; Executive Director, Columbia Technology Ventures
• Rachel Leona Justiniano, Residency Program Administrator, College of Dental Medicine
• Paul Keenan, Senior Vice President for University Development, Office of Alumni Affairs and Development
• Laila Maher, Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs, School of the Arts
• Jenny S. Mak, Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Student Affairs, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
• Jessica Marinaccio, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, Columbia College
• Hazel May, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of International and Public Affairs
• Maria O’Brien, Deputy Chief of Staff, Mailman School of Public Health
• Rose Razaghian, Dean of Academic Planning and Governance, Office of the Executive Vice President for Arts & Sciences
• Tonya Richards, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for Staff, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
• Curtis Rodgers, Vice Dean, School of General Studies
• Janet Reyes, Senior Associate Dean, Administration and Faculty Affairs, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• Daniel Savin, Senior Research Scientist, Columbia Astrophysics Lab
• Melissa Smey, Associate Dean and Executive Director, Miller Theatre
• Andrea Solomon, Vice Dean and Dean of Academic Affairs, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• Eugene Villalobos, Executive Director, Facilities
• Sheri Whitley, Executive Director, Digital Strategy, Communications and Public Affairs
• Jason Wright, Vice Dean of Finance and Administration, School of Nursing

Alumni Advisory Committee

• Ramona Bannayan, Senior Deputy Director of MOMA (Retired) (School of the Arts)
• Michael Barnett, Barnett, Edelstein, Gross, Kass & Lieber, P.C. (Retired) (Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia Law School)
• Kevin Browne, SVP, Patient Care Services and Chief Nurse Executive of St Joseph’s Health (School of Nursing)
• A’Lelia Bundles, Journalist and Author (Columbia Journalism School)
• Abraham Chahine, Orthodontist (School of Dental Medicine)
• Julie Fisher Cummings, Co-Founder and Chair, Lovelight Foundation (School of Social Work)
• Shawn Edwards, Chief Technology Officer, Bloomberg L.P. (Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science)
• Allison Fillmore, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Monitor Capital (School of General Studies)
• James Harden (co-chair), Executive, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia Business School)
• Shaun Hoyte, Section Manager, Con Edison Clean Energy Networks (School of Professional Studies)
• Ann Kaplan, Partner, Circle Wealth Management, (Columbia Business School and School of Social Work)
• Karen R. Lawrence, President, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)
• James Leitner, President, Falcon Management (School of International and Public Affairs)
• Carol Loewenson, Partner, Mitchell Giurgola (Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation)
• William G. Roberts, MD (Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons)
• George Van Amson, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley (Columbia College)
• Alisa Wood (co-chair), Partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) (Columbia College and Columbia Business School)