During a University Senate meeting last week, Joseph Howley, an associate professor of classics and University senator, questioned Dr. Melanie Bernitz, the senior vice president for Columbia Health, about an apparent change in the University’s COVID-19 mitigation strategy. Howley claimed that Arts and Sciences faculty were told during a different meeting that an “absolute prevention of infection” would no longer be the top priority.

The University updated its COVID-19 restrictions on undergraduate dorms and gatherings on Thursday, allowing each student one guest and raising the limit on indoor gatherings to 25, while maintaining weekly surveillance testing of a 25 percent random sample of vaccinated students.

James Valentini will step down as dean of Columbia College and vice president of undergraduate education in June 2022, after a decade serving in one of the most senior student-facing administrative positions at Columbia, University President Lee Bollinger announced in an email Thursday.

Since the spring, Columbia’s senior administrators and faculty have been exploring the possibility of increasing undergraduate enrollment in an effort to increase tuition income and access to the University after the pandemic left Columbia accumulating losses of roughly $100 million a month at its peak.

When Eboni Lamy was in high school, she had her sights set on Columbia. After her pastor, whose son went to Columbia, told her the University was looking for students to enroll in its summer immersion program, she did everything she could to make it happen.

Jeannette Wing, the Avanessians director of Columbia’s Data Science Institute and a professor of computer science, will become the next executive vice president for research, University President Lee Bollinger announced on Wednesday. She will officially start her new role on Sept. 1.

Dennis Mitchell, senior vice provost for faculty advancement and a professor of dental medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, has been appointed to be the next executive vice president for University Life, University President Lee Bollinger announced in an email to the Columbia community today. Mitchell will also be serving as senior vice provost for faculty advancement and will continue his work as a faculty member at the College of Dental Medicine.

Maseh Prudence Apehngong, a rising sophomore at Columbia College, died on Aug. 2 after a battle with terminal cancer, Columbia College Dean James Valentini wrote in an email to students on Wednesday.

Columbia has extended its suspension of undergraduate study abroad programs through the fall 2021 semester, citing the dangers still posed by world travel as the pandemic continues.