Henry Pinkham

Columbia Mathematics Professor Henry C. Pinkham has been named dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) by the University Trustees. Pinkham, who joined the Columbia faculty in 1974, specializes in algebraic geometry.

"We are delighted to have Henry Pinkham as the new dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences," said Columbia President George Rupp. "He is a wonderful colleague and proven teacher, researcher and administrator, who will build upon Columbia's outstanding record in graduate education."

In 1999, Pinkham was awarded the Mark Van Doren teaching award by the students of Columbia College. In addition, he has held all the administrative positions within the mathematics department, including being chair from 1987 to 1989. Pinkham, a native New Yorker, has been both a member and chair of the Faculty Planning Committee and of the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

"Henry Pinkham has been an integral part of the Columbia community for more than 25 years," said Provost Jonathan Cole. "Being a mathematician of the first rank, Henry brings a deep understanding of both the campus and graduate education that will serve the University well."

David Cohen, vice president for Arts and Sciences, said: "Henry Pinkham brings to the Graduate School a deep and broad knowledge of the Arts and Sciences and of the issues and challenges of graduate education at Columbia. This background contributed, for example, to his leadership in recently bringing a prestigious NSF VIGRE training grant to the Department of Mathematics. Particularly compelling are his academic values, appreciation of the relationship between graduate and undergraduate education, and recognition of the historical importance of the graduate programs at Columbia to our distinction."

Pinkham said his primary objective will be to obtain full funding for doctoral students.

"The basic idea has been in place for a while now," said Pinkham. "[Former Dean Eduardo] Macagno proposed a graduate school enhancement plan to fund doctoral students five or six years ago, and, last fall, GSAS accelerated its implementation."

Pinkham added that GSAS will also seek financial support for graduate students from both public and private foundations and through fundraising appeals to alumni and the community.

Pinkham also noted how GSAS will continue to prepare doctoral students for the changing job market, which he said has altered the nature of graduate education.

"Today, there is much more of an effort to place Ph.Ds in non-traditional jobs," Pinkham said. "It used to be that the primary honorable career path for a Ph.D. was to become a university professor. Now there are many other things you can do. There are employers who are looking specifically for Ph.Ds and our job is to hook them up with them."

Sociology and Religion Professor Gillian Lindt has been serving as interim dean since February, when Macagno became founding dean of the division of biology at the University of California, San Diego. Pinkham officially begins his tenure as dean on June 15.