Important Updates Regarding Campus Access

Dear members of the Columbia community: You will hear from me tomorrow, welcoming you all back to campus for the start of the new term, but in advance of our first day of classes, I want to share with you some updates regarding access to our Morningside campus, an issue I know is of great importance to our entire Columbia community. Today, I am announcing three initial steps that are intended to move us progressively toward increasing access to our campus, while giving us the information and capacity we need to continue to do so thoughtfully. Since joining Columbia two months ago, I have heard from many students, faculty, staff, alumni, and neighbors about campus access and, more broadly, about safety and security at Columbia—the frustration that comes with closed gates, the inconvenience it can create, the ways it complicates the ordinary rhythms of campus life, and the sense that our access limits make Columbia feel less dynamic and connected to New York City and to our surrounding community. I have also heard the voices of those who value the sense of safety and stability that our current measures have provided and who worry about our campus as a flashpoint for many beyond our own community. This constructive feedback has been vital to informing my thinking on steps we can take to address all of these concerns. It is the University's responsibility both to protect the safety of those who study, teach, work, and live on our campus and also to preserve the conditions necessary for our academic mission to flourish. That means taking reasonable measures to prevent disruptions that interfere with essential University activities. While safety and security of our community are of the utmost importance, they are also not our only considerations. Columbia is an institution in and of New York City. Openness, exchange, and engagement, with one another, with our neighbors, and with the wider world, are also fundamental to who we are as an institution and to our academic mission. I believe that, together, we can develop an approach to campus access that protects our community and the continuity of our academic work while also moving us back toward a campus that is more open and welcoming. There is no single policy change that will achieve that balance overnight, nor do I believe it would be responsible to make significant changes without carefully considering their consequences. We can, however, begin taking meaningful steps now, and I describe below a committee that will be charged with helping with this task, some modest but meaningful expansions to campus access that will go into place tomorrow, and plans for a temporary kiosk to assist visitors and affiliates. Campus Access Advisory Committee A more open campus is an important expression of Columbia's identity as a university in and of New York City. With that principle as a starting point, I am convening a Campus Access Advisory Committee. I am grateful that Shih-Fu Chang, Dean of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor of Engineering, and Geraldine Downey, Robert Johnston Niven Professor of Humane Letters in Psychology, have agreed to co-chair the committee. The charge to the group will be to advise me and our senior leadership team and to recommend the principles, conditions, and practical steps Columbia can take toward further increasing access to our Morningside campus, while preserving appropriate safeguards for our community and our academic mission. The full Committee will include representatives from our students, faculty, staff, and the Morningside Heights community. I have asked the committee co-chairs to begin the work assembling the committee and moving forward immediately, and we will provide updates to the community as their work continues over the coming months. Expanded Campus Guest Access As the committee's work gets underway, there are some immediate steps we can take to make it easier for members of our community to welcome others onto campus. We know that some aspects of the current guest registration process can be cumbersome and, at times, unnecessarily restrictive. Beginning tomorrow at 8:00 a.m., the University will expand same-day guest access for Columbia faculty, staff, and students as well as some affiliates. Among the changes, faculty will now be able to authorize up to two dozen same-day guests, and Columbia staff and students will have their same-day authorizations increased from two to five, to permit ease of access for friends, family, and those visiting our campus for academic purposes. In addition, accompanied children under 12 will no longer require their own QR code. Further details on these updates can be found below, as well as on Public Safety's campus guest access information page. Our neighbors in our surrounding community will continue to have QR code access to campus through the University's Campus Access for Neighbors program, which provides an ongoing QR code for campus access, free of charge. These changes will not resolve every concern about campus access, but they are an important first step toward making our campus easier to access while we evaluate further changes. CU Access Service Kiosk (ASK) Beginning October 1, we will launch a new, temporary Access Service Kiosk (ASK) at the 116th Street and Broadway gate. The kiosk will be staffed by a welcome team member dedicated to helping Columbia community members, guests, alumni, and visitors navigate campus access requirements. When problems arise, the ASK team will provide a clear point of contact to help answer questions and resolve any access issues, when possible. The temporary kiosk is intended to address immediate concerns and will help us better understand the challenges regarding our existing access procedure while the Campus Access Advisory Committee performs its work. Moving Our Community Forward I believe that these three actions are meaningful first steps toward a more open Morningside campus. I want to be clear that they are not the final word on campus access, nor are they a substitute for the more fundamental work ahead. Reopening our gates responsibly will require us to learn from our recent experience, assess risks, listen to different perspectives, and be willing to adjust as circumstances change. It will also require us to resist framing the choice as one between an open campus and a safe one. I do believe we can find a wise path forward together and the Campus Access Advisory Committee will help us get there in the months ahead. I am grateful to everyone who has shared their experiences and perspectives with me thus far, and I look forward to continuing this work together. Sincerely, Jennifer L. Mnookin President, Columbia University in the City of New York Expanded Campus Guest Access Full details can be found on Public Safety's campus guest access information page, but here are further details on the expansions to access which will go into effect at 8:00 a.m., tomorrow, September 8, 2026.