Dear Members of the TC Community,

It has been a busy few weeks for all of us as we are in the thick of the semester, pulling things together before the end of the calendar year. I wish our students all the best for upcoming exams.

Meeting peers in Washington, D.C. . . .

Last week I attended the National Academy of Education (NAEd) Retreat in Washington, D.C. NAEd advances high-quality research to improve education policy and practice; U.S. members and international associates are elected on the basis of scholarship related to education. I was pleased to attend the induction of Dr. David T. Hansen, TC’s John L. and Sue Ann Weinberg Professor in the Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education, as a member. And it was good to be among college and university leadership of education research institutions to share strategies in light of federal government funding cuts. I spoke with some philanthropic foundation leaders, who shared their experience of a spike in proposals for research funding. I also spoke with presidents and deans about how we can continue to support Ph.D. students—those individuals are hit particularly hard with the loss of funding.

Many ideas surfaced in terms of addressing the impact of scant research resources, for example considering the implications on tenure criteria. We also talked about opportunities for community-engaged research and interdisciplinary work, as well as data availability and quality. And we discussed the potential for collective action. 

As I’ve written previously, I am supportive of working collectively with partners at peer institutions and have been spending a good amount of time engaging in that direction. I will continue to provide updates as our conversations develop. We all share common concerns and challenges and recognize how these stresses are affecting our campuses. I find these meetings in the best cases to spur creative ideas for action and at the very least, a chance to be in community with those in the same situation. We are all committed to building trust and community as we confront these difficult situations.

. . . and alumni in Boston

This week, I spent some time in Boston in discussion with Dr. Melissa (Mel) Collier-Meek, Associate Professor of Psychology and Education, with alumni and friends. It was a chance to promote our Public Good Initiative and focus on practical applications of our work, in this case, in the area of psychology. Over the course of a luncheon and then a dinner, we had more than 60 TC alumni and friends gathered, who were eager to demonstrate support for our program, our faculty, and our current students. These events are vital for engaging with our graduates and hearing their stories, which helps us develop our case for support for TC; they also raise essential unrestricted support for our operations. I am always energized when I speak with alumni and have the opportunity to hear what a difference the TC education has made in their lives. And as a plus, I got to visit with my daughter, who lives in the area.

We have a number of campus events over the next two weeks, and I hope to see many of you there. It will be good to be among our community members before we have some time off with friends and loved ones for the upcoming Thanksgiving break.

With best wishes for the weekend,

Thomas Bailey
President
Teachers College, Columbia University