The importance of Columbia’s Affirmative Action Program extends far beyond its objective to provide equal opportunity for those seeking employment at the University. It is an essential part of our mission as an educational institution. I believe deeply that diversity and excellence are inextricably bound, both in education and society. To prepare students for the tectonic shifts posed by globalization, we must create a learning environment where they can engage and expand the multiplicity of perspectives that define life in an ethnically diverse nation and world. This is true for students everywhere, but especially so for those who live and study in New York, the most diverse city in the country, if not the world.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action annually publishes The Affirmative Action Program for Columbia University to renew our commitment to equity and diversity in hiring and to a working environment free from discrimination and harassment. Written in accordance with the regulations of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the 2008 edition charts Columbia’s progress as an employer over the past year and sets new goals for the year ahead.

Four years ago, we launched a special initiative to increase faculty diversity, investing a total of $27 million in recruitment efforts. Our goal has been to hire between fifteen and twenty new faculty members within a three-year period. At the end of two years, we have successfully recruited seventeen and partially funded five others. Together they represent an exceptionally high level of academic excellence and will contribute to a number of key initiatives within the Arts and Sciences.

Now we are committed to raising an additional $20 million as part of the Columbia Campaign, to be set up as an endowment fund that will then yield $1 million per year for continuous diversity recruitment. As part of our effort to expand the pipeline of minority scholars in science and engineering, we are developing a Bridge to PhD program, which will bring post-baccalaureate minority students into the Columbia research community as full-time research assistants. The University is currently working to raise $1.5 million to support the program over a three-year pilot period.

At the same time, we are looking for new ways to empower tenure-eligible faculty through more proactive mentoring, networking opportunities, and financial support for publications and conferences. We have launched a series of initiatives, including membership in an online job bank supporting academic couples in our region, as well as

the establishment of a new Office of Work Life. Already its extensive support program offers an emergency back-up care program to all faculty members with dependent care responsibilities.

We are especially proud of the Columbia Earth Institute’s ADVANCE program, funded by the National Science Foundation, which has dedicated resources to attracting and advancing women scientists and engineers. Not only has ADVANCE enhanced the diversity of our faculty, it has also strengthened Columbia’s ties to emerging and established women scholars across the country through the Marie Tharp Visiting Fellowship Program.

These efforts supplement our ongoing work to create a working and learning environment that fosters respect for a wide array of intellectual perspectives, promotes a deep understanding of cultural differences on a global scale, and addresses the history of under-representation among certain groups in higher education in this country.

I fully endorse the programs and goals set forth in The Affirmative Action Program for Columbia University, and reaffirm the University’s commitments to affirmative action and equal opportunity for our community. I urge you to familiarize yourself with this report and the work of the women and men responsible for the oversight and execution of these initiatives.

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