Dear readers,

This year was a difficult one for many on campus, as we grappled with the deaths of seven of our peers and Donald Trump’s win in the presidential election.

But despite the somber mood, we saw students mobilize in the aftermath, rallying to advocate for expanded mental health resources on campus, organizing support for students directly impacted by Trump’s policies, and discussing the right to free speech while looking critically at our campus’ political climate.

It was also a year of significant change for the University, which opened the doors to the first buildings—the Jerome L. Greene Science Center and the Lenfest Center for the Arts—at Manhattanville, Columbia’s largest campus expansion since 1896. Spanning 17 acres and costing an estimated $6.3 billion, the new campus seeks to alleviate the University’s perennial space constraints and elevate its standing among peer institutions. The impact that it will have on undergraduates, however, remains to be seen.

Meanwhile in Morningside Heights, two senior administrators long familiar to students, Barnard President Debora Spar and School of General Studies Dean Peter Awn, announced their departures, with Spar leaving campus before the academic year—or her contract—was over. Both leave their respective schools at a crossroads, the impact of which will influence Columbia next academic year.

Take a look at the stories that defined Columbia this year.