Columbia University
PAE-6: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Provost has appointed a Faculty Advisory Committee on Diversity, with representation from Schools across campus. In addition, the personnel of the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Planning are responsible for coordinating and advancing the University’s diversity mission.

The Faculty Advisory Committee on Diversity, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Planning is responsible for: i) serving as a resource to Schools and Departments on programs to enhance Columbia as a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive academic community; ii) supporting the establishment of data-driven plans to identify where initiatives are needed to improve faculty recruitment, development, and retention, and track progress; iii) creating programs, in collaboration with Columbia’s academic and administrative units, to promote faculty development and success; iv) providing leadership on short- and long-term planning to support the University's academic and diversity mission and goals.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Planning’s work to enhance faculty diversity at all of Columbia’s schools builds on initiatives spearheaded first by Professor Jean Howard during her tenure as vice provost for diversity initiatives, and then by her successor, Professor Geraldine Downey.

Jean Howard, George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities, was appointed the first Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives in 2004 and served through 2007. In 2005, Columbia’s Trustees unanimously approved a commitment of $15 million for a recruitment campaign to attract outstanding underrepresented minority and female scholars to the Arts and Sciences faculty, address the work-life issues of an increasingly diverse faculty, foster an institutional climate to enhance the recruitment and retention of faculty, and encourage broad discussion of these issues across the University. With $2 million in funding, in 2007 the Professional Schools Diversity Initiative was created to expand faculty diversity efforts to Columbia’s professional schools using a competitive grants program for junior faculty and visiting fellows. During Howard’s tenure, faculty members from underrepresented groups were recruited to the Arts and Sciences, the University’s first Office of Work-Life was established, a program to provide emergency back-up care for children and family members was created, and the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium was developed.
Geraldine Downey, professor and former chair of the psychology department, succeeded Howard as Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives in 2007 and served until 2009. Under her leadership, the office continued to focus on hiring and recruitment of faculty from underrepresented groups, and faculty and pipeline development. An additional $5 million was devoted to faculty recruiting in the natural sciences in the Arts and Sciences. Under Downey’s leadership, faculty members from underrepresented groups were hired in the Arts and Sciences, the Professional Schools Diversity Initiative continued to award research fellowships to faculty members in Columbia’s professional Schools, and the Office of Work-Life implemented a range of new programs. The Office played a central role in obtaining a Clare Boothe Luce Foundation grant to support women in science and engineering. In recognition of the centrality of faculty development to retention efforts, a Faculty Development Task Force was convened and new programming was incorporated into the work of the office. In partnership with departments in the Arts and Sciences, and with funding from the National Science Foundation, the Bridge to the PhD in the Natural Sciences Program was initiated.

The Office is guided and sustained by the Diversity Mission Statement of the President of the University, Lee C. Bollinger:
"Columbia is dedicated to increasing diversity in its workforce, its student body, and its educational programs.
Achieving continued academic excellence and creating a vibrant university community require nothing less.
Both to prepare our students for citizenship in a pluralistic world and to keep Columbia at the forefront of knowledge,
the University seeks to recognize and draw upon the talents of a diverse range of outstanding faculty, research officers, staff, and students and to foster the free exploration and expression of differing ideas, beliefs, and perspectives through scholarly inquiry and civil discourse. In developing its academic programs, Columbia furthers the thoughtful examination of cultural distinctions by developing curricula that prepare students to be responsible members of diverse societies."

In fulfilling its mission to advance diversity at the University, Columbia seeks to hire, retain, and promote exceptionally talented women and men from different racial, cultural, economic and ethnic backgrounds regardless of their sexual orientation or disability status. Through effective and fully compliant affirmative action and equal opportunity policies, Columbia strives to recruit members of groups traditionally underrepresented in American higher education and to increase the number of minority and women candidates in its graduate and professional programs.

Building a diverse university community is not the work of a moment. It requires sustained commitment, concerted effort, and the attention of us all. I reaffirm Columbia University's commitment to this mission and to the realization of our core values of inclusion and excellence.

The Office of Work/Life and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action are part of the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Planning. These three offices work together to facilitate coordination and integration of diversity initiatives.
The leadership of these offices constitutes the members of the coordinating group for campus diversity:
Andrew Davidson, Vice Provost for Academic Planning
Susan V. Smith, Associate Provost for Academic Planning
Carol Hoffman, Associate Provost and Director, Office of Work Life
Susan Rieger, Associate Provost, Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
Melinda Rooker, Executive Director, Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action

As an educational institution, an employer, and a place of public accommodation, Columbia is subject to some 18+ federal, state and local laws, which promote equal opportunity, prohibit discrimination and harassment, and authorize affirmative action, on the basis of some 23+ protected classifications. Acting on behalf of the President and Provost of the University, he Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) has overall responsibility for the University’s policies and procedures deriving from these laws, including Employment Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment, Student Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment, Equal Access Policies, Consensual Relationship Policies, and Recruitment and Search Policies. EOAA works to provide solutions for individuals complaining about their discrimination and harassment on the basis of a protected classification, by negotiations, mediations, inquiries, preliminary reviews, and formal investigations. It also offers an ambitious training program on its policies and procedures to all University schools, departments, and offices. As the affirmative action office, EOAA does substantial monitoring, outreach, and record-keeping to insure that all employees and applicants for employment have the same opportunities. It is responsible for developing and producing the Affirmative Actions Program which includes the Executive Order Affirmative Action Plasn (EOAAP) and the Affirmative Action Plans for Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities for the three (3) Columbia campuses.

The Associate Provost is responsible for managing the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and for ensuring that the University meets its equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and affirmative action obligations under federal, state and local law and advances the University’s commitment to equity and diversity. Please see the description of the EOAA Office.