The provost office announced Monday, May 10, that two professors will be joining the tenured faculty community. 

Assistant Professors Visda Goudarzi, of the Audio Arts and Acoustics Department and Dave Pabellon from the Design Department are the latest two professors to join the ranks. 

From the Provost’s Office: “I have the distinct privilege of recognizing the outstanding contributions our faculty have made to their fields and to the Columbia community through the tenure process,” Senior Vice President and Provost Marcella David said in an email announcement. “It was a tremendous pleasure to review the achievements of our newly tenured colleagues and to look forward to the ways in which they will continue to enrich our community. Please join me in congratulating them!” 

Looking at the numbers: As of 2020, about 174 faculty members were tenured, while 33 were on the tenure track according to Columbia’s Institutional Effectiveness.

What tenure means: Becoming tenured is a career milestone for those in academia. The process to become tenured is a six-year process in which faculty candidates are assessed by external reviewers, department colleagues, chairs, deans, and the All-College Tenure Committee. 

What Goudarzi is saying: “I am honored and humbled to have received tenure, and grateful for the support and encouragement of my colleagues, mentors, and loved ones,” Goudarzi said in an email to the Chronicle. “This achievement not only represents a culmination of years of hard work and perseverance, but also a new beginning—a chance to continue to push boundaries, innovate, and make a meaningful impact in my field and to inspire future generations of scholars.” 

What Pabellon is saying: “Earning tenure is a feeling and status I’ve never experienced before, so the term milestone is absolutely appropriate. Paired with this hard earned professional accomplishment are waves of excitement and gratitude as it secures that I get to work with, and for, the remarkably talented people associated with Columbia College Chicago, Pabellon said in an email to the Chronicle. “With that I would like to thank the staff, faculty, and administration, and last, but not least, the students for collaborating, supporting, and believing in me. It’s truly a humbling honor and I look forward to building more with our Columbia community.”