As the presidential search takes shape, the goal is to establish greater collaboration across the university and the community.

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.”  

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. 

The full list of committee members is below.

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.