Dear Members of the TC Community,

Yesterday, I shared the disturbing news that federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security entered an off-campus Columbia residential building and detained a Columbia University student, Ellie Aghayeva, who was later released. As noted by Vice President Tom Rock today, we have protocols to follow should agents come to our campus. All of our public safety staff are on alert and we are increasing our general staffing and patrols of our residence halls. Further, our Offices of General Counsel, Community Affairs (OCA) and International Students and Scholars (OISS) will host a Know Your Rights session for our entire community and we will continue to share guidance and resources for all.

I recognize that this situation has caused much fear and concern, which many have felt over the last year and beyond. As a place of teaching, learning, and research, Teachers College is, above all else, a community where we look after each other, and work together to achieve our mission. This is hard to do during a time of great disruption, which we are experiencing with the presence of ICE agents, threats to graduate student loans, barriers to international students, the narrowing of what is considered a profession, and continued regulatory changes.  

I want to emphasize that our work must continue.

This was reinforced to me as I met earlier this month with alumni and friends of the College, including two TC Trustees, in south Florida. There was much interest in our work across the College, and attendees were not only enthusiastic as they talked about their programs and mentors; they were also delighted to learn about new initiatives, and talk about incoming students and what’s still to come.

I also visited Washington D.C. twice over the last two weeks (in addition to a visit in January), part of continued efforts to build coalition as we seek to secure research funding and engage with government representatives in support of our mission, students, faculty and staff. General Counsel Tamara Britt and I met with the Under Secretary of the Department of Education to make our case to restore federal research grants that were cut over the previous year. And this week I met with legislative aids and 50 college and university presidents for an advocacy day on Capitol Hill, where we sought to provide support for our students through addressing the impact of these voluminous and hard-hitting proposals and legislation, including visa restrictions, financial aid challenges, and possible changes to loan forgiveness. 

Building Leadership, Ensuring Smooth Transitions 

On the TC campus, I am meeting with the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), Department Chairs and other faculty and community members as we consider interim leadership as a follow up to my recent announcement of the June departure of Provost KerryAnn O’Meara. Even as we experience changes at the cabinet level, our work continues. I am committed to transparency and maintaining a strong and dedicated leadership team to steward TC’s future. 

I am indeed grateful for the participation of faculty, staff, and students in recent interviews for our other open leadership role, the Vice President for Enrollment Management. I’m pleased to share that we have had an outstanding group of candidates for this position, several of whom spent a day on campus over the last two weeks meeting with various members of our community. I think each of the candidates would do an excellent job and I look forward to sharing an update as we complete the search. 

What does it all add up to?  

In October, I shared my strategy for addressing these difficult times in higher education as we face funding cuts, limited resources for student loans, elimination of federal grants and more. Ensuring the strength of Teachers College is my primary focus, especially during times of transition. Everything I do are steps to achieve that goal: raising support for our students and operations, ensuring that our research agenda thrives and engaging our alumni as supporters and storytellers of our legacy. 

It also means ensuring that we continue to attract and support excellent students—our future leaders in the areas of health, education and psychology. 

All these efforts are geared toward maintaining a strong, collegial culture that enables our diverse community to thrive. This is one of the five Strategic Priorities that have guided my vision and TC’s growth since I became President in 2018, along with building the optimal academic organization, enhancing student pathways, advancing our research agenda, and leading in digital innovation. 

You all play a role in ensuring we thrive as an institution, by doing your work, telling our story and engaging in our community. Our work not only continues, it remains strong and vital to our democracy and the world.

With best wishes,

Thomas Bailey
President
Teachers College, Columbia University