Editing Columbia University (section)

===21st century===

==== Bollinger presidency (2002–2023): Expansion, campaign, and globalization ====
{{citations needed|section|date=March 2025}}
Lee C. Bollinger became Columbia's 19th president in June 2002,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Columbia Daily Spectator 29 May 2002 — Columbia Spectator |url=https://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs20020529-01&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu}}</ref> succeeding George Rupp.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Columbia Daily Spectator 5 March 2001 — Columbia Spectator |url=https://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs20010305-01&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu}}</ref> Appointed in October 2001 after arriving from the University of Michigan,<ref name="SpectatorArchive081001">{{Cite web |title=Columbia Daily Spectator 8 October 2001 — Columbia Spectator |url=https://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs20011008-01.2.6&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Presidents of the University of Michigan |url=https://bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/um/umpresid.php |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=bentley.umich.edu}}</ref> his presidency emphasized campus expansion, globalization, and science, while navigating national debates.

Key initiatives included the ambitious Manhattanville campus expansion into West Harlem, addressing critical space needs<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lee C. Bollinger's Inaugural Address {{!}} Office of the President |url=https://president.columbia.edu/content/lee-c-bollingers-inaugural-address |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=president.columbia.edu}}</ref> and aiming to build new academic facilities, especially for sciences. Bollinger prioritized [[globalization]], launching the World Leaders Forum<ref name="SpectatorArchive310303">{{Cite web |title=Columbia Daily Spectator 31 March 2003 — Columbia Spectator |url=https://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs20030331-01&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu}}</ref> and aiming to increase international student numbers.<ref name="SpectatorArchive310303"/> He appointed key leaders like [[Jeffrey Sachs]] ([[The Earth Institute|Earth Institute]]),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Columbia Daily Spectator 8 April 2002 — Columbia Spectator |url=https://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs20020408-01&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu}}</ref> [[Alan Brinkley]] (Provost),<ref name="SpectatorArchive310303"/> [[Nicholas Lemann]] (Journalism), David Hirsch (Research),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of the President Lee C. Bollinger: David Hirsh Appointed Executive Vice President for Research |url=https://www.columbia.edu/cu/president/docs/communications/2003-2004/030725-hirsh-evp-research.html |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=www.columbia.edu}}</ref> and [[Nicholas Dirks]] (Arts & Sciences),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of the President Lee C. Bollinger: Nick Dirks Appointed Vice President for Arts and Sciences |url=https://www.columbia.edu/cu/president/docs/communications/2004-2005/040805-ndirks-announcment.html |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=www.columbia.edu}}</ref> and planned a Neuroscience Institute.

Bollinger was the defendant in the Supreme Court's 2003 affirmative action cases (''Gratz'' and ''Grutter''), resulting in a split decision.<ref name="SpectatorArchive081001"/><ref name="SpectatorArchive310303"/> He consistently defended free speech principles during campus controversies involving faculty and students.<ref name="SpectatorArchive310303"/>

The Manhattanville expansion plan progressed, entering environmental review and the city's land-use review process. Concerns about eminent domain grew [with Bollinger calling its potential use necessary to secure land for projects like the Greene Science Center, funded by a landmark $200 million gift.

The university publicly launched a record $4 billion capital campaign in September 2006. Financial aid was improved, eliminating loans for undergraduates from families earning under $50,000, supported by a major gift from trustee [[Gerry Lenfest]]. 

Globalization efforts continued with the World Leaders Forum and the creation of the Committee on Global Thought, chaired by [[Joseph Stiglitz]]. Columbia faculty received multiple Nobel Prizes: [[Richard Axel]] and [[Linda B. Buck|Linda Buck]] (Medicine, 2004), [[Edmund Phelps]] (Economics, 2006), and [[Orhan Pamuk]] (Literature, 2006). [[Václav Havel]] joined the faculty.

Controversy erupted over a planned 2006 invitation to Iranian President Ahmadinejad, which was ultimately canceled due to logistical and security issues. Later that year, a campus event featuring Minuteman Project speakers was disrupted by protesters. Bollinger strongly condemned the disruption, reaffirming free speech principles while stating protesters do not have the right to silence speakers. Several students faced disciplinary action, and non-affiliated individuals involved were banned from campus.

The [[2008 financial crisis]] impacted Columbia's endowment, but less than peers as only 13% of the operating budget reliant on the endowment (compared to higher percentages at peers like [[Harvard University|Harvard]]). The endowment recovered, hitting $8.2B in Oct 2013. Despite the downturn, Columbia pressed on with Manhattanville construction, receiving final state approval in June 2009. Major gifts fueled progress, including $400M from [[John Kluge]] upon his death, $50M from the [[Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons|Vagelos]] family for the Medical Center, $100M from [[Henry Kravis]] for the Business School, $30M from Gerry Lenfest for an Arts center, and $200M from [[Mortimer Zuckerman]] for the Mind, Brain, Behavior Institute. 

Following the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the University Senate voted 51–17 to invite [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps|ROTC]] back after a 40-year absence, and Bollinger announced an agreement with the Navy. Columbia expanded its [[Columbia Global Centers|Global Centers]] network (Amman, Beijing, Mumbai, Paris, Nairobi, Istanbul, Santiago), aiming to increase global engagement and international student enrollment (11% in CC in 2011, targeted higher).

From 2014 to 2021, Columbia University pursued significant physical expansion, notably opening major facilities on the Manhattanville campus (ZMBBI, Lenfest Center, The Forum). Key strategic initiatives launched included the [[Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump|Knight First Amendment Institute]], Columbia World Projects, and the new [[Columbia Climate School]] (2020). A $5 billion university capital campaign was launched (with a $1.5B A&S target), major gifts like $50M for A&S's Uris Hall renovation were secured, and the endowment grew significantly ($14.35B by mid-2021). Columbia gynecologist [[Robert Hadden]], indicted in 2014 for sexually assaulting patients and initially avoiding prison through a controversial plea deal amidst criticism of the university's handling, was ultimately federally convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2023.

The COVID-19 pandemic starting March 2020 prompted remote operations, hiring/salary freezes, budget cuts, substantial borrowing (~$700M cited), and unpopular retirement contribution cuts, intensifying financial pressures. In 2022, Columbia's reporting of metrics used for university ranking was criticized by Professor of Mathematics [[Michael Thaddeus]], who argued key data supporting the ranking was "inaccurate, dubious or highly misleading."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hartocollis |first=Anemona |date=March 17, 2022 |title=U.S. News Ranked Columbia No. 2, but a Math Professor Has His Doubts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/us/columbia-university-rank.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511190935/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/us/columbia-university-rank.html |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |access-date=May 12, 2022 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Diep |first=Francie |date=March 16, 2022 |title=Columbia Is Ranked No. 2 by 'U.S News.' A Professor Says Its Spot Is Based on False Data. |url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/columbia-is-ranked-no-2-by-u-s-news-a-professor-says-its-spot-is-based-on-false-data |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421163643/https://www.chronicle.com/article/columbia-is-ranked-no-2-by-u-s-news-a-professor-says-its-spot-is-based-on-false-data |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |access-date=May 12, 2022 |website=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]}}</ref> Subsequently, ''U.S. News & World Report'' "unranked" Columbia from its 2022 list of Best Colleges saying that it could not verify the data submitted by the university.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hartocollis |first1=Anemona |date=July 8, 2022 |title=Columbia Loses Its No. 2 Spot in the U.S. News Rankings |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/08/us/us-news-rankings-columbia.html?referringSource=articleShare |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709165859/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/08/us/us-news-rankings-columbia.html?referringSource=articleShare |archive-date=July 9, 2022 |access-date=July 9, 2022 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> In June 2023, Columbia University announced their undergraduate schools would no longer participate in ''U.S. News & World Report's'' rankings, following the lead of its law, medical and nursing schools. A press release cited concerns that such rankings unduly influence applicants and "distill a university's profile into a composite of data categories."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mueller |first=Julia |date=June 7, 2023 |title=Columbia University no longer submitting data to US News college ranking |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4038410-columbia-university-no-longer-submitting-data-to-us-news-ranking/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607154527/https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4038410-columbia-university-no-longer-submitting-data-to-us-news-ranking/ |archive-date=June 7, 2023 |access-date=June 7, 2023 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Shafik presidency (2023–2024) ====
Beginning in fall 2023, escalating [[2024 Columbia University pro-Palestinian campus occupations|Columbia protests over the Gaza war]], marked by debates on [[Antisemitism at Columbia University|antisemitism]], culminated in a major encampment, the police clearing of Hamilton Hall in April 2024, and President [[Minouche Shafik]]'s subsequent resignation. Shafik was replaced by [[Katrina Armstrong]] as Acting President.<ref name=actingpres>{{cite web | url=https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/03/29/heres-what-to-know-about-claire-shipman-columbias-new-acting-president/ | title=Here's what to know about Claire Shipman, Columbia's new acting president }}</ref>

==== 2025 ====
Following critical reports on [[Antisemitism at Columbia University|antisemitism]], campus conflict continued into 2025 as the [[Second presidency of Donald Trump|second Trump administration]] threatened to revoke federal funding and demanded policy changes, prompting student expulsions, arrests of Palestinian students and alumni, and new university disciplinary measures. On March 21, 2025, university leaders agreed to the government's demands to "overhaul disciplinary processes, ban masks at protests, add 36 officers with the authority to make arrests and appoint a new senior vice provost to oversee academic programs focused on the Middle East" among other demands.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/executive-leadership/2025/03/21/columbia-agrees-trumps-demands| title=Columbia Agrees to Trump's Demands |work=[[Inside Higher Ed]] |first=Josh |last=Moody |date=March 21, 2025 |accessdate=April 14, 2025}}</ref> The university's capitulation has not resulted in the withheld $400 million being restored.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/executive-leadership/2025/04/14/harvard-resists-trumps-demands |title=Harvard Resists Trump's Demands |work=[[Inside Higher Ed]] |first=Josh |last=Moody |date=April 14, 2025 |accessdate=April 14, 2025}}</ref> On March 28, 2025, [[Claire Shipman]] was named new Acting President.<ref name=actingpres/>