The college formally invested President and CEO Shantay Bolton as its 11th president, marking a historic milestone as she became the first Black woman to lead the college.
The investiture, a formal ceremony that officially begins a president’s tenure, comes as the college faces declining enrollment and a $40 million deficit.
Bolton and members of her cabinet and the Board of Trustees walked down a red carpet wearing academic regalia through the fifth-floor event space in the Student Center before breaking into dance when the entry music abruptly shifted to “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson as faculty, staff, family, friends and colleagues of Bolton clapped and cheered.
In her address closing out the ceremony, Bolton acknowledged her investiture comes at a pivotal time for the college and for higher education, which is shifting.
“We feel these pressures at Columbia, but crossroads are not places of retreat,” Bolton said. “They are places of decision, and this is our moment of renewal. This is our renaissance.”
Board of Trustees Chair John Holmes welcomed Bolton on behalf of the board, saying her “energy, clarity [and] intellectual rigor” were among the qualities that stood out during the search for a new president after Kwang-Wu Kim stepped down in July 2024 after 11 years.
“It was clear she had done a tremendous amount of work to prepare, but what stood out was her conviction about student success and institutional renewal, and those things are two things that are critical to the success of Columbia,” Holmes said.
Bolton was given the presidential medallion and presented the mace by Holmes and Faculty Senate President Karla Fuller.
“An investiture is not simply about installing a leader into office. It is about renewing a shared commitment. It’s about affirming that leadership must protect and amplify the very qualities that define us,” Fuller said during the ceremony.
Bolton’s son, Brandon Phillips, briefly addressed the audience to congratulate his mother before a video played featuring her sorority sisters, high school teachers and family members reflecting on her life and work ethic.
Student Government Association President Jenna Davis also said Bolton’s investiture was “an important step in the future of Columbia.”
“President Bolton chose this institution and continues to choose to work for her students, and it is clear in her actions,” Davis said. “We are rooting for her and trust she will continue to be a student-focused president for the better of this institution.”
Columbia College Faculty Union President Diana Vallera used her remarks to reference recent challenges at the college and the role faculty and students played in responding to them.
“In recent years, Columbia faced profound challenges,” Vallera said in her remarks. “Faculty stood up for our students and for the integrity of our curriculum.”
Bolton said the college’s vision is more than a “strategic plan,” calling it “a commitment to rediscover who we are and reimagine what we can become.”
Since stepping into the role in July, Bolton said the college has quadrupled the number of paid internship opportunities for students in the Semester in LA program.
“From my first days here, I committed to listening. I’ve met with students, faculty or staff, alumni,” Bolton said. “What I have heard is clear; this community cares deeply about Columbia’s mission and about one another. We have strengthened policies and practices that align our faculty leadership and institutional systems with student success.”
At the annual State of the College address, Bolton has said her administration will focus on four pillars to address Columbia’s challenges: stabilizing enrollment, elevating brand, strengthening philanthropy and improving operational efficiency.
In interviews with the Chronicle, she said that she will be focused on “strategic enrollment growth.”
The annual Persistence Scholarship gala had previously been scheduled for the same evening as the investiture, as the investiture was postponed. The college said Bolton would use the investiture to raise money for the Renaissance Innovation for Student Excellence Fund, or RISE Fund, as the Chronicle previously reported.
Although she did not talk about scholarships at the investiture, Bolton shared that the annual Darkroom benefit auction at the Museum of Contemporary Photography raised over $435,000, making it the most successful fundraising in the history of the event.
Since becoming president and CEO in July 2025, Bolton has met with students to discuss issues including the cost of tuition and alumni access, pledging to make student engagement a priority.
“I believe that we are each entrusted with moments that ask something of us,” Bolton said. “This is one of those moments, and I accept it with humility, with gratitude and with conviction that when we align our purpose with discipline, extraordinary things can and will happen.”
This story has been updated with the correct last name for Brandon Phillips.
Copy edited by Katie Peters
Resumen en español
La ceremonia de investidura de Shantay Bolton se llevó a cabo el jueves 5 de marzo, que la reconoció como la undécima presidenta Shantay Bolton, además de ser la primera mujer negra que lidera la universidad. La ceremonia incluyó varios invitados a hablar, y concluyó con Bolton hablando de sus planes de abordar el déficit de la universidad, la matrícula y más.
Resumen por Sofía Oyarzún
Editado por Brandon Anaya
