Columbia Local weather Faculty Management Announcement
Jeffrey Shaman is Vice Dean of School Affairs and Professor of Local weather on the Columbia Local weather Faculty in addition to a Professor within the Division of Environmental Well being Sciences and Director of the Local weather and Well being Program on the Columbia Mailman Faculty of Public Well being. On July 1, 2023, he’ll grow to be Interim Dean of the Local weather Faculty.
Since April 2021, the Columbia Local weather Faculty has operated below an uncommon management mannequin, with 4 co-deans, Alex Halliday, Jason Bordoff, Ruth DeFries, and Maureen Raymo, sharing duty for main the event of the important thing practical areas of our pioneering new Faculty. They every took on the Local weather Faculty task along with their present portfolios—Alex on the Earth Institute; Jason as head of the Heart on International Power Coverage on the Faculty of Worldwide and Public Affairs; Ruth as College Professor and the Denning Household Professor of Sustainable Improvement within the Division of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology; and Maureen at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
I lengthen my deepest thanks to every of the co-deans for his or her exceptional contributions to the Faculty as leaders, students, and innovators. Launching a brand new faculty—the primary at Columbia in 25 years—is a significantly troublesome job. All 4 approached this problem with nice dedication and character. Their dedication to collaboration and outreach propelled the dream of a Faculty ahead. All understood the necessity to join the College’s mental property to sort out one of many world’s best challenges.
The Faculty’s co-dean management construction mirrored this premise of connection. Having on the helm 4 of Columbia’s most outstanding local weather consultants, representing numerous areas of experience, has facilitated our drawing on the vary of disciplines wanted to deal with the local weather drawback and created a powerful basis on which the Faculty can flourish. Our co-deans welcomed the primary cohort of scholars in September 2021 and in Might celebrated our second cohort of devoted graduates. All features of a thriving faculty at the moment are in place.
The progress these 4 deans have made in establishing a basis for the brand new Faculty has positioned us properly, making it doable to now undertake a single-leader mannequin. To that finish, we’ll quickly be launching a seek for a dean to guide the Faculty into its subsequent part of progress. Alex, Jason, Ruth, and Maureen have steadfastly advocated for, constructed, and led the Local weather Faculty. With out them, there wouldn’t be a Local weather Faculty. I ask that you just be a part of me in recognizing their important contributions and thank them for bringing us to the place we’re right now. With this shift to a single-leader mannequin, we create the area for them to return to specializing in their scholarly work and different management endeavors. I’ll add they’ve all graciously agreed to proceed supporting the Faculty via this transition and can stay college within the Local weather Faculty of their respective fields.
To guarantee continuity for the Local weather Faculty, and in shut session with incoming College President Minouche Shafik, I’m happy to share that Jeffrey Shaman has agreed to step in as Interim Dean. Jeff will formally start July 1, however is already taking up further duties and dealing with the co-deans to make sure a clean transition. Jeff is a Professor within the Division of Environmental Well being Sciences and Director of the Local weather and Well being Program on the Columbia College Mailman Faculty of Public Well being, and a Professor of Local weather within the Local weather Faculty. Jeff will construct on the Faculty’s basis to speed up impression, and transitions into this expanded position from his present place as Vice Dean of School Affairs on the Local weather Faculty, the place he has served as a key chief and supporter of college.
Please be a part of me in thanking Alex Halliday, Jason Bordoff, Ruth DeFries, and Maureen Raymo for his or her pioneering work on behalf of the Local weather Faculty and in welcoming Jeff Shaman as he assumes management of the Faculty.
Lee C. Bollinger is the President of Columbia College.
