The Power of Community

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As this semester comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the past academic year — my first as president of Barnard College. It has been a great privilege to lead this incredible institution. I am grateful for the support, the ingenuity, and the fierce passion of our entire community. Together, we’ve accomplished a great deal, from mapping out our “Bold History, Fearless Future” vision to doubling down on our commitment to access, which will pave the way for our first-ever loan forgiveness plan in the fall of 2024.

We’ve experienced some joyous moments. We’ve cheered on the Columbia Lions women’s basketball team as they vied for the championship title of the Ivy League Tournament. And I say with pride that four Barnard student-athletes were an integral part of the team’s success. We stood together on Futter Field and watched the solar eclipse. We raised $3.4 million for financial aid at Barnard’s 2024 Annual Gala, while honoring two remarkable women — Helene D. Gayle ’76, M.D., MPH, and Francine A. LeFrak — who are leaders in public health and wellness.

But I know this has also been a profoundly difficult time. The conflict in the Middle East has left so many of us reeling, sowing division and causing pain within our community and around the world. Yet amid this disagreement, we also share much common ground. At Barnard, we are all committed to participating “together in intellectual risk-taking and discovery,” as our mission statement asserts. Sometimes this collaboration is uncomfortable, but it leads to better understanding of one another, and that understanding is crucial as we all seek to make a difference in this world.

For our entire community to thrive and reach their potential, we have to champion wellness in all its aspects: the life of the mind, mental and physical well-being, financial fluency, and a sense of belonging. This is key to our “Communities of Care,” a foundation of the College’s vision for the future. With the Francine LeFrak Foundation Center for Well-Being, we have made important strides in uplifting wellness at Barnard. But there’s still more work to do.

For us to fulfill our mission to nurture leaders of the future, we must continue to build our resources and programming and further invest in our infrastructure and technology. Over the winter, we announced a fundraising campaign to grow our endowment to $1 billion by 2030. Michael A. Farley, our new Vice President of Development and Alumnae Relations [see page 48], will play a critical role in helping us to achieve this ambitious goal. Mike joined us in early April from the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, where together we raised critical funding for the school. I know that Mike will bring the same enthusiasm, commitment, and expertise to Barnard’s fundraising efforts.

Commencement is just around the corner. I look forward to celebrating the incredible achievements of the Class of 2024. The students who make up this class have shown such resilience and fortitude from the moment they started at Barnard at the height of the pandemic in 2020. I am so proud of our graduating seniors for all they’ve accomplished, and I know that they will flourish and lead in their next endeavors. This occasion is so meaningful because it brings us together and give us the chance to feel the power of our strong, caring, and talented community.