Dear Members of the TC Community,

A warm welcome back to those who were out the previous week for Spring Break and those who had a long weekend with our school closure last Friday. I spent a few days with my family, a highlight of which was seeing my grandson’s performance on the viola in the Youth Repertory Orchestra in Boston—one of the few times he took his eyes off the NCAA basketball tournament…

Annual Staff Open Forum

I want to thank those who took time to attend our open forum this week, an annual program designed for TC’s staff members to have the opportunity to hear updates relating to their experiences at the College. As I have said many times before, our staff are vital to our operations—working through spring break, summer and other down times—to ensure we are always at our best. 

Those in attendance heard an update on our financial picture and what we are doing to keep our budget balanced; our work in the Division of Community and Student Affairs to build on our commitment to sustain a vibrant and inclusive community; and an overview of the results of the “Our Voice” staff engagement survey. Vice President for Administration Lisa Seales led us through the program and moderated our Q&A session, which included an update on some of the professional development opportunities in the works to help staff employ AI in their jobs.

Providing opportunities for community members to hear about key issues, ask questions, and engage with cabinet members ensures transparency and supports engagement. I am grateful to Lisa Seales and Vice President for Community & Student Affairs Tom Rock for leading these efforts.

Recognizing our Students

Next week begins National Graduate Student Appreciation Week, and I’m pleased to also recognize these key members of the TC community. Of course our students are the heart of what we do. Each of them comes to Teachers College with a distinct goal in mind, and they achieve so much more as they contribute in our classrooms and across the campus, enriching us with their diverse perspectives and talents.

I hope our students will find time to participate in some of the events and give-aways hosted by our Graduate Student Life & Development team, with special appreciation to student Montse Lopez, who is working toward her M.A. in Cognitive Science in Education, for designing this year’s GSA Week t-shirt. I particularly appreciate reading student stories, so don’t forget to add yours here and submit a nomination for the Provost's Student Excellence Awards here.

Looking Forward

I have been thinking further about a question I received at the staff forum about what we can expect following the recent changes at the cabinet level. I have to say, I am always excited by the prospect of engaging new voices in the leadership of the College. I am particularly pleased to engage two new perspectives: one from outside of the TC/Columbia environment in our VP for Enrollment Management; and one that is steeped in our culture, with deep relationships among our faculty and community, in our Interim Provost. That combination of ideas and perspectives is important to me, and vital to our work. Indeed, across the College, we have many who are just joining us and those who are here for decades. You each contribute to meeting the needs of our community, driving innovation and accomplishing our goals. This works best when we build on each other’s ideas.

In two weeks, many of TC’s researchers, including students and faculty, will convene in Los Angeles, California for the annual American Educational Research Association (AERA) meeting. I am looking forward to seeing TC well represented among the presentations. I am also looking forward to catching up with faculty members there. Somehow, even as we are on campus throughout the semester, spending time at a conference allows us more dedicated opportunities to gather and learn from one another.

My next update will follow that conference on April 17, where I expect spring will have finally reached us here in New York and the countdown begins in earnest to year-end festivities.

With best wishes for the weekend,

Thomas Bailey
President 
Teachers College, Columbia University