Barnard Anticipates Transition

On the eve of a highly-anticipated announcement Tuesday afternoon—when, according to sources close to the selection process, the next president of Barnard will be named—students and faculty described the college’s relationship to Columbia and its financial future as the key issues on Barnard’s horizon.

Since President Judith Shapiro announced her resignation last April, discussions regarding the transformations that will come with new leadership have echoed throughout Barnard’s campus. When Shapiro’s marathon tenure of 14 years ends this summer, a new president could alter the course of the college’s future.

The schools’s unique identity, both as a women’s college in the 21st century and as an independent affiliate of Columbia University, lies at the forefront of concerns voiced by students and professors alike. Sources have often said they care most about the Barnard community, its identity and relationship with the University, as well as what they called a lack of communication between the administration and the student body. Students have also expressed concerns about Barnard’s level of fundraising—though current president Judith Shapiro has increased the college’s endowment, it is the smallest among the seven sisters.

“The biggest challenge for the next president will be truly developing a Barnard community,” said Kate McNamara, BC ’08 and SGA VP of Communications. “There is an opportunity for the next president to really give Barnard students more pride and strength in their identity.”

Dennis Dalton, a political theory professor who has taught at Barnard since 1969, said the issue of community is crucial. “Almost every person that comes in for a recommendation for transferring complains that they don’t find a sense of community with other people in a cooperative, rather than competitive manner.”

Many such complaints arose from confusion regarding the ambiguity of Barnard’s role in the larger community of Columbia University.

“I think that while the resources that we have through Columbia are really valuable, Barnard needs to create its own identity within the umbrella of Columbia,” Aviva Erlich, BC ’09, said. “We’re not the lesser Columbia, we’re not the woman’s Columbia. We need someone who takes strong stances in terms of Barnard’s identity.”

“Who are we? Are we Columbia? Are we Barnard? It would be nice to have a president who would take the initiative on those questions,” Bethanie Mangigian, BC ’11, agreed.

This transition period will also give Barnard the chance to reevaluate its standing as a women’s college. When he founded the school in 1898, Frederick Barnard, Columbia’s tenth president, envisioned it as the only college in New York City that offered equitably rigorous education to women. Some students now perceive less need for a college exclusive to women, since, unlike at Barnard’s inception, many vocational fields rely on a rise in female employment, and top universities admit women.

“I think keeping the idea of a women’s college as a viable option for women of today is always going to be a challenge,” Alexandra Loizzo, BC ’09, said. “I feel like President Shapiro has struck a really good balance of girl power but not anti-men. That will be hard to live up to.”

But Senior Lecturer Margaret Ellsberg expressed a positive outlook on the increasing appeal of Barnard as a women’s college. “I think that the taste for a women’s education is going to increase ... Barnard is an extremely competitive school and has raised successful, high achieving women. It has put itself on the map,” Ellsberg said.

Meanwhile, many students said they feel that a lack of communication underlies many of the current issues at Barnard, a college that touts itself as a small, intimate environment.

“I think right now one of the big problems I’ve had as a student is communicating with the administration. I just don’t think there’s a lot of support at all,” Betsy Smith, BC ’09, said.

As both internal and external projects transform Barnard, students said they want to be more informed.

“Was there enough communication between students and the administration and planners about the Nexus?” Jenny Hanrahan, BC ’10, asked. “Sure, they showed pictures and brochures ... but what about beforehand communication, like how it was going to impact classrooms that are so close to construction that you can’t hear your teachers? What about having a really small campus that’s now basically blocked off because of the construction?”

Barnard’s catchphrase for its high-tech, environmentally friendly construction project is “Imagine the Nexus.” Hanrahan said she is left doing precisely that. “If the Nexus is being built, communicate how it’s going to benefit students. If tuition is rising, explain why. Communicate to the students and give the students more realistic and effective ways to communicate back,” Hanrahan said.

Professors also said they feel that existing lines of communication need to be more fluid.

“Among the faculty, the key value should be accessibility,” Dalton said. “Regular meetings between the faculty and students should occur on their own, not as caused by the crises we’ve seen recently.”

“It is obviously important to focus on the big picture of things, but [the new president] should be aware of the day-to-day challenges that face the students and faculty,” Chemistry professor Christian Rojas said.

Students have said improved communication could include a reform of Barnard’s academic curriculum—specifically, the creation of a diversity requirement.

“One thing that I’d really like is a reevaluation of the Nine Ways of Knowing and also a president who is actually going to see this Ethnic Studies program through,” Mangigian said, referring to a recent initiative discussed in the Student Government Association.

But McNamara also noted that practical problems, such as registration for classes, dearth of University-wide communication, and lack of an emergency text messaging system, continue to impinge on students’ lives.

“We need someone whose main concern is making sure that the school serves the best interest of the students,” Hanrahan said. “For me, this involves making sure that policies like financial aid and study abroad are reformed.”

Despite a vast array of grievances, students also expressed a general sense of excitement at the prospect of a new leader with a fresh outlook, ready and willing to take the reins toward reform.

“I think we really need someone with a willingness to approach situations in a new light ... so that Barnard leads the way before other colleges,” said Sarah Besnoff, BC ’09 and SGA Vice President.

After nine months of deliberation by the Presidential Search Committee, Barnard students and faculty await the announcement with a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and hope for the future.

“Barnard seems to be in this time of transformation, making all of these big physical changes and working on their international reputation right now,” Erlich said. “The new president should work on taking Barnard to the next place that it needs to go because where we are right now is really liminal. We’re either going to move forward or fall into the shadows.”

Samantha Saly contributed to this article.