An Update on the Senate Review Process

Dear members of the Columbia community:

Over the past week, many members of our community have engaged in thoughtful and productive conversations about the University Senate. These discussions, which took place in nearly a dozen listening sessions and included faculty, students, staff, and trustees, made clear the breadth and diversity of perspectives on the University Senate.

The Senate has a long and storied history at Columbia, serving as an important body in our shared governance framework. When functioning well, shared governance enables the unique intellectual ecosystem of this great University to thrive with a shared sense of accountability and responsibility. Our shared governance systems include faculty committees charged with academic reviews, policy, and planning, our faculty-led hiring and promotion process, student councils, and, of course, the Senate. The Senate evokes passionate debate on campus with perspectives that run the gamut from strong support to deep concerns about the Senate’s ability to respond to current challenges.

As the body ultimately responsible for the University’s governance and institutional integrity, including the role of the University Senate, the Board of Trustees has a fiduciary duty and institutional obligation to evaluate whether core systems are functioning as intended. We are also careful to ensure that actions we take reflect our values and mission—producing a shared governance structure that works to benefit our entire community. We are mindful of the Senate’s critical role, why it was created, and how it has supported the University over many decades.

Based on this fundamental responsibility, the Board is outlining concrete steps for the next phase of the Senate review process. This review process has no predetermined outcomes, and to be clear, this is not an attempt to eliminate the Senate. Rather, it is driven by several important questions that have emerged in recent years and crystallized during our recent sessions: How can the Senate represent more of the University? What is the scope of the Senate’s responsibility? How might there be ways for more renewal? What support does the Senate need to help it function most effectively?

Conducting the Senate Review

The Senate review will be run by Columbia Law Professor Tom Merrill and the committee will include Professors Andy Marks of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Vicki Morwitz of Columbia Business School, Justin Phillips of Arts & Sciences, Henning Schulzrinne of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and two trustee emeriti, former Judge Rolando Acosta and now partner at Pillsbury Winthrop, and Esta Stecher, a former partner at Goldman Sachs.

This committee will engage an outside consultant to advise on best practices and otherwise support its work.

The new committee will begin with a period of consultation with Senate members, some of which are scheduled for this week. Based on the listening sessions, issues to be examined are:

• Reviewing peer institutions’ Senate and similar systems;
• Examining the relationship between the Senate and the Trustees;
• Developing recommendations to encourage broader participation in the Senate and renewal, including term limits for senators and committee chairs;
• Clarifying the Senate’s internal structure and responsibilities; and
• Making recommendations to enhance institutional support for the Senate.

This work will begin as soon as possible.

We recognize and respect the concerns raised by members of our community about the scope and intent of this review. We understand that skepticism exists. That is precisely why we are committed to a substantive and deliberate process. The committee does not have the authority to make changes to the Senate. Its task is to undertake an evaluation and deliver its recommendations to the Board for consideration this summer.

Examining Board of Trustees Processes

Feedback from listening sessions, town halls, and other engagements have made it evident that there is a desire for more understanding of Board responsibilities and processes. A few points of clarification may be helpful. While Columbia has a system of shared governance, the Board of Trustees—currently composed of 21 alumni with a wide range of backgrounds—has ultimate responsibility for University governance. In the past, the Board has examined our processes, and we are now retaining an outside consultant to review our processes, benchmark against peer institutions, consider best practices, and identify areas for improvement. This review is a healthy and responsible step that reinforces our commitment to good governance and is consistent with our commitment to institutional excellence.

These steps are being taken because they are good for Columbia, now and for the future. They are consistent with the University’s core values of academic freedom, free inquiry, independence, and autonomy.

Above all, they reflect our deep love, and that of the Board of Trustees, for this University—its students, faculty, and staff. It is an extraordinary privilege to support Columbia’s missions, and we are honored to serve such a remarkable institution.

The Trustees look forward to reviewing the results of these processes and are committed to continuing to work closely with Acting President Shipman and her leadership team to ensure, in this moment of turbulence, we are strengthening the systems that help Columbia thrive.

Sincerely,

David J. Greenwald
Co-Chair, Board of Trustees

Jeh Charles Johnson
Co-Chair, Board of Trustees