A Letter to the Columbia Engineering Community

Dear Columbia Engineering Community,

In recent months we have seen news reports of heightened tensions between the United States and China with regard to trade, intellectual property, and even academic activities, creating an atmosphere that has the potential to undermine the open intellectual academic exchange so valued among our university community of faculty, researchers, and students.

It is important for each of us in Columbia Engineering to reflect on the importance of our commitment to maintaining an open and welcoming community for all students, faculty, researchers, and administrative staff. As a School of Engineering and Applied Science, we are fortunate to attract students and faculty from diverse backgrounds, from across the country, and from around the world. It is a great benefit to be able to gather engineers and scientists of so many different perspectives and talents – all with a commitment to learning, a focus on pushing the frontiers of knowledge and discovery, and a passion for translating our work to impact humanity.

Let me also reassure you that the appropriate policies and procedures are in place to ensure the highest level of research integrity, to comply with U.S. government regulations, and to protect the intellectual property and research discoveries of our faculty and students.  Moreover, all research is open and transparent, with no classified research projects undertaken at Columbia Engineering and Columbia University.

I am proud of our diverse community, and wish to reinforce our collective commitment to maintaining an open and collegial environment. We are fortunate to have the privilege to learn from one another, and to study, work, and live together in such a dynamic and vibrant place as Columbia.

Sincerely,

Mary C. Boyce
Dean of Engineering
Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor