The University Senate approved a proposal at its monthly plenary on Friday to dedicate a physical space for first-generation low-income students. The vote passed with 55 votes in favor and three abstentions.

The University Senate approved the establishment of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Institute for Biomedical Research Education at the Friday plenary. The institute is funded by a $175 million donation from Roy Vagelos, VP&S ’54, and Diana Vagelos, BC ’55.

Barnard President Laura Rosenbury delivered her inaugural address on Friday to a sparse crowd inside Riverside Church, laying out her vision for the college’s future and acknowledging the impacts of the Israel-Hamas war on Barnard’s campus.

A group of undergraduate researchers in the Creative Machines Lab at Columbia discovered that not all fingerprints are unique in a groundbreaking study published earlier this month, debunking a previously accepted scientific theory.

A record high 1,694 early decision applicants for the class of 2028 received notifications from Barnard on Wednesday evening, according to the college’s admissions office.

Jerome Davis, secretary of the University, will retire at the end of the 2023-24 academic year, University President Minouche Shafik announced in an email on Monday. Davis will officially step down from the position on Dec. 31, 2023 and continue in an advisory role until June 30, 2024.