The Columbia College Class of 2013 will increase by 50 students, in what Kevin Shollenberger, dean of student affairs and associate vice president for undergraduate life, called an effort to “address our budgetary concerns.”
To provide housing for the additional students, some graduate school housing in Harmony Hall on 110th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway will be made available for CC/SEAS students participating in General Selection for housing this year.
On Monday night, on the eve of the release of housing lottery numbers to CC/SEAS students, Shollenberger sent students the e-mail announcing the changes.
“College enrollment will be increased only to the level our residential facilities can reasonably support, and we have done extensive planning to ensure that,” Shollenberger wrote. “The next first-year class will include 50 more students along with some additional transfer students.”
To ease the strain that the larger class will impose on an already cramped campus, “25 sophomore beds in Furnald will be converted to first-year beds, and an additional residence hall will be included in the undergraduate housing inventory for all CC/SEAS students,” he wrote.
The changes are coming as the University contemplates how to maintain academic quality while coping with endowment losses, a priority that University President Lee Bollinger has repeatedly emphasized. In a late January e-mail sent to students, Bollinger revealed that the University’s portfolio had declined 15 percent over the six-month period ending Dec. 31, 2008. To address a tightening budget, Bollinger asked each “budget unit”—such as schools, centers, or offices—to plan for an eight percent decrease in the amount of revenue they receive from the endowment fund for the next fiscal year.
“Let there be no doubt, we still have to face hard choices in the months ahead,” he wrote, adding later, “Hopefully, by accepting and planning for this new reality, we will be in a position to move forward in strength.” In a subsequent interview, Provost Alan Brinkley gave further details on the measures under consideration, saying that they could include targeted hiring reductions and the delay of Sakai, the successor Web site to CourseWorks. Brinkley said the cutbacks would not cause “irrevocable damage.”
Although relatively small, the admissions increase may represent the University’s next “hard choice.” Administrators were unavailable to speak last night after the reception of the e-mail, and Shollenberger’s notice left several issues unclear. The e-mail implied that the College is increasing enrollment to raise revenue but did not explain if it could do so while maintaining its commitment to need-blind admissions.
“Columbia is not exempt from the financial challenges current times present, and the University has spent the past several months examining ways to preserve our institutional values while addressing our own budget shortfalls,” Shollenberger wrote. “It is with respect for these values and an awareness of our economic realities that Vice President [for Arts and Sciences] Nicholas Dirks has adopted a number of measures to address our budgetary concerns including increasing enrollment for Columbia College.” It is also unknown if or by how much Columbia will raise tuition for the 2009-2010 academic year.
Though the most immediate limiting factor for enrollment increases is space, several other changes will be required—50 extra students would prompt the creation of two to three more sections of certain Core classes such as Literature Humanities. Additional Resident Advisors would also be required to supervise the new dormitory.
Shollenberger noted that “the addition of Harmony’s eight floors offers 72 single and six double rooms.” But it is unclear where the law and statistics students who currently live there will be placed.
Harmony Hall is located at 544 W. 110th St. near a synagogue and The School of Columbia, and it opens into a lobby containing chairs and a table. The building has one old-style elevator and wooden floors. Inhabitants have described it as “livable” with tiny singles and shared bathrooms.
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