The Columbia Chronicle

Breaking: Chief of Staff Adriel Hilton leaves Columbia after less than a year

The college declined to discuss the circumstances surrounding Hilton’s departure. The move comes two weeks after longtime executive assistant Yvonne Sode was terminated after more than two decades at the college.

Anna Bitz, Deputy Editor
June 23, 2026

Faculty and Staff

Editor’s Note: Why we’re changing how we identify part-time faculty

Going forward, the Chronicle will identify these employees as "adjunct faculty" on first reference. We believe this term is both accurate and easily understood by readers while aligning more closely with the terminology used by many academic institutions.

William Blakley, Editor-in-Chief
June 4, 2026

Faculty and Staff

Remembering Richard Laurent

Chronicle illustrator Lilly Sundsbak, a senior illustration major, paid tribute to the longtime part-time instructor with a cartoon.

Anna Bitz, Deputy Editor
June 3, 2026

Faculty and Staff

Breaking: College lays off 6 tenured faculty in fourth round of cuts

Columbia has laid off 54 full-time faculty since January 2025, including the six whose positions were eliminated on Wednesday, May 27, as part of an effort to address declining enrollment and a budget deficit that has grown to more than $40 million.

William Blakley and Sofía Oyarzún
May 27, 2026

Faculty and Staff

Breaking: Columbia suspends faculty sabbatical leave for a second year

Interim Senior Vice President and Provost Suzanne McBride announced the decision during the Friday, May 22 Faculty Senate meeting, citing ongoing financial pressures at the college. The move reflects broader cost-cutting across higher education, though relatively few colleges and universities have publicly announced pauses to faculty sabbaticals specifically.

William Blakley, Editor-in-Chief
May 22, 2026

Faculty and Staff

May 21, 2026

Faculty and Staff

Columbia creative writing professors publish new works spanning fiction and poetry

A new novel by Lisa Fishman and a restored collection of Beat poet writings edited by Tony Trigilio are bringing conversations about experimentation, literary history and publishing into Columbia classrooms.

Ava Simone Forster, Reporter
May 21, 2026