Statements and announcements from across the University will be posted on this page by the Office of Public Affairs.
Recent Statements and Announcements
After a period of consultation and leadership planning, I am pleased to share that Dr. James McKiernan, senior vice dean for clinical affairs at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) and CEO of ColumbiaDoctors, will serve as interim executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences, CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), and interim dean of VP&S.
Columbia has completed our notifications to those individuals potentially affected by the 2025 breach of certain University IT systems.
I write today to share that Dr. Katrina Armstrong, Columbia University executive vice president for health and biomedical sciences, Columbia University Irving Medical Center CEO, and dean of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, will transition from her current roles to launch the Vagelos Institute for Basic Biomedical Research, a collaboration between Roy and Diana Vagelos and the University.
In February 2026, the University shared information regarding steps it was taking to address an admissions irregularity pertaining to a student admitted to the College of Dental Medicine (CDM) in 2012.
The University has restored Columbia user access to Canvas/CourseWorks following the restoration of services by Instructure, the platform’s parent company.
Instructure has restored access to Canvas/CourseWorks for most institutions. Columbia University Information Technology (CUIT) is currently assessing the security and stability of the platform before restoring access for Columbia users. CUIT will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide additional updates as more information becomes available.
The University is working actively with schools to minimize academic disruption, create alternative mechanisms to prepare for and deliver exams, and provide appropriate flexibility during this period.
The University is aware of widespread issues impacting Canvas/CourseWorks and is actively investigating. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.
Instructure, the parent company of Canvas/CourseWorks, notified the University this evening that our learning management system may have been impacted by a widespread data breach affecting thousands of educational institutions.
With the official end of classes and the start of reading and exam days, the University is sharing some important reminders for the final two weeks of the spring semester.
The following is a statement from Columbia University regarding a demonstration that took place today on the steps of Low Library.
In early March, the University issued a strong statement condemning the deliberate harassment and targeting of members of our community. Acting President Shipman has regularly urged all members of the community to reject doxing and targeted harassment as responses to disagreement.
