Columbia will restart its search for a new provost after failing to select a candidate, leaving the college without a permanent chief academic officer during a period of financial strain and restructuring.
In an email sent to faculty and staff on Wednesday, April 1, President and CEO Shantay Bolton said the college did not move forward with any of the finalists for a position held by Suzanne McBride since last summer. McBride will continue to serve in the role through the 2026–2027 academic year.
“While searches of this scope do not always result in a successful placement, this moment also provides us with an opportunity to ensure that we are positioning both the role and the institution for long-term success,” Bolton said in the email.
McBride has been interim provost and senior vice president since last June after Marcella David left the college after six years, as the Chronicle previously reported.
In an email statement to the Chronicle, McBride said initiatives were started during her term connected to the four pillars of the college’s strategic plan.
“Over the next year, we have the opportunity to carry this work forward and contribute to our important goals in stabilizing enrollment, growing our philanthropic opportunities, elevating the college’s brand, and operating with efficiency and clarity,” McBride said. “I trust the president’s decision-making, and I trust that our community will identify the right long-term provost at the right time.”
The provost serves as the college’s chief academic officer, overseeing curriculum, faculty affairs, academic planning and student success — a role central to Columbia’s efforts to stabilize enrollment and address financial pressures.
Since January 2025, the college has laid off 48 full-time faculty members, including 32 tenured faculty.
The college had said it expected to name a provost before spring break or by the end of March.
Three finalists; Melissa Rands, Michael Soto and Christina Goletti were announced earlier this semester and participated in public campus forums.
The candidates outlined differing visions for the role.
Rands, the vice president of Academic Affairs and interim director of Foundation Studies at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, emphasized investing in faculty amid budget constraints. Soto, the former provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, described serving Columbia’s students as an “ethical imperative,” and Goletti, the dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts at the University of Northern Colorado, called for financial stabilization before expanding programs.
The decision leaves Columbia without permanent academic leadership as it faces continued enrollment declines and financial strain. The college reported 3,958 students enrolled in Spring 2026, the first time enrollment has dropped below 4,000 students in more than two decades, as previously reported by the Chronicle.
In spite of that, McBride told students at a forum on Tuesday, March 1 that she anticipated a larger first-year class in the fall but did not provide an explanation.
“We are actually tracking and planning for well more than 4000 students, and we have slightly less than 4000 students right now,” McBride said. “We’re definitely planning on a bigger freshman entering class for this fall than last fall.”
She did not immediately respond to an email from the Chronicle requesting comment about the failed search.
AAUP President Michael Caplan said prioritizing stability in academic leadership is the “most prudent decision” as Columbia strives to remain a leading independent arts college.
“It is unfortunate that so much work and financial outlay by the College community to recruit a potential new provost will be set aside, but in the end, it seems like it is the necessary and tough choice to make,” said the film and television professor.
SGA President Jenna Davis said the outcome is “a little alarming,” but she did not see it as unsuccessful.
“We are in such a critical point of this college and we need someone that will truly fit not only the job description but our community,” Davis said. “This means going through the provost search again, and waiting another year, but truly if it means having an even better candidate, then I think it’s worth it out of respect for the student body.”
The college declined to provide cost details for the search, including expenses related to bringing finalists to campus.
In a statement provided to the Chronicle, the college said it engaged executive search firm AGB Search and took steps to ensure a thorough process, including candidate outreach, evaluation and related logistics.
“While we are not sharing specific cost details, we remain committed to conducting a search that reflects the importance of this leadership role to the institution’s future,” the college said.
The announcement about the failed search came just days after the college laid off three top administrators, including former interim President and CEO Jerry Tarrer, former chief of staff Laurent Pernot and Jeffrey Reuter, associate vice president of budget, planning and analysis
In the email about the provost search, Bolton did not specify a timeline for a new one, only saying it would resume at a later date.
Meanwhile, DePaul University named Russell Ivy, the interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Florida Atlantic University, as the next provost of the Chicago school.
This story has been updated.
Additional reporting by Emma Jolly and Marc Balbarin
Copy edited by Brandon Anaya
Resumen en español
El miércoles 1 de abril, la universidad mandó un correo electrónico anunciando que tras buscar un rector, continuará la actual interina Suzanne McBride por el año académico 2026-2027. El correo electrónico indicó que se planea una nueva búsqueda para una fecha más adelante.
Resumen por Sofía Oyarzún
