Columbia University announced its decision Monday to cancel university-wide commencement ceremonies amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests that have roiled college campuses across the country in recent weeks.
Commencement ceremonies for individual schools will proceed as planned. A university official told NBC News security concerns were the primary reason for the shift.
"Our students emphasized that these smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families. They are eager to cross the stage to applause and family pride and hear from their school’s invited guest speakers," the university said Monday. "As a result, we will focus our resources on those school ceremonies and on keeping them safe, respectful, and running smoothly. A great deal of effort is already underway to reach that goal, and we understand the Deans and school teams are looking forward to working with their students to incorporate the most creative and meaningful ideas to celebrate this extraordinary moment."
The ceremonies will be relocated from Morningside Heights' encampment-damaged front lawn. Most will be hosted at Columbia’s Baker Athletics Complex. See the full revised schedule below. Tickets are still required.
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And Columbia is still considering some sort of university-wide celebration.
"These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for our community. Just as we are focused on making our graduation experience truly special, we continue to solicit student feedback and are looking at the possibility of a festive event on May 15 to take the place of the large, formal ceremony," Columbia said. "We are eager to all come together for our graduates and celebrate our fellow Columbians as they, and we, look ahead to the future. We will share more in the coming days."
Mayor Adams' team shared their frustrations with the situation and hoped schools would move forward with ceremonies as planned.
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"While each university will make their own decision, we strongly encourage every school in our city to move forward with their ceremonies as planned. We are committed to supporting schools and giving graduates the ceremonies they deserve," Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy said.
An estimated 15,000 students were planning to graduate in separate outdoor ceremonies May 15. Commencement at the Ivy League school is a venerable tradition dating to 1758, when the school was known as King’s College.
Protests at Columbia’s upper Manhattan campus erupted April 17 when students pitched about 50 tents while demanding a cease-fire in Gaza and insisting the university divest from companies that they say could be profiting from the war. Authorities cleared out the protesters, but they returned — and encampments quickly appeared at college campuses across the country. More than 100 were arrested when NYPD officers in riot gear took back Hamilton Hall.
Speaker Mike Johnson calls on Columbia to remove President Shafik
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Columbia's Board of Trustee should fire the school's president, Minouche Shafik, following the series of protests at the Ivy League campus.
"Because it is abundantly clear that President Shafik would rather cede control to Hamas supporters than restore order, Columbia’s Board of Trustees should immediately remove her and appoint a new president who will," Johnson said in a statement. "Our once great universities desperately need strong moral leadership, now more than ever.”
Johnson visited the school's campus back on April 24 and had called on Shafik to resign.
He said Monday Shafik is unwilling to "control" the campus and should be removed from her position.
School commencement ceremonies schedule
Friday, May 10
- 8:30 a.m. – Professional Studies, Morning Ceremony | Baker Athletics Complex
- 12:30 p.m. – Professional Studies, Afternoon Ceremony | Baker Athletics Complex
- 4:30 p.m. – Social Work | Baker Athletics Complex
- 5:30 p.m. – Columbia Climate School | The Forum
Saturday, May 11
- 8:00 a.m. – Business School, EMBA & PhD Candidates | Baker Athletics Complex
- 11:30 a.m. – Business School, MBA | Baker Athletics Complex
- Architecture, Planning and Preservation | St. Paul’s Chapel
- Your school will communicate the time and further details
Sunday, May 12
- 8:00 a.m. – Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, PhD | Baker Athletics Complex
- 10:00 a.m. – Baccalaureate Service | St. Paul’s Chapel
- 11:00 a.m. – Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, MA | Baker Athletics Complex
- 3:00 p.m. – The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Graduate Ceremony | Baker Athletics Complex
Monday, May 13
- 8:00 a.m. – Columbia School of General Studies | Baker Athletics Complex
- 11:45 a.m. – The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Undergraduate Ceremony | Baker Athletics Complex
- 3:30 p.m. – Law School | Baker Athletics Complex
- 7:30 p.m. – International and Public Affairs | Baker Athletics Complex
Tuesday, May 14
- 9:30 a.m. – Columbia College | Baker Athletics Complex
- 10:00 a.m. – School of Nursing | The Armory
- 10:00 a.m. – Physical Therapy | Alumni Auditorium, CUIMC
- 3:30 p.m. – Genetic Counseling | VEC 201, CUIMC
- 4:00 p.m. – Mailman School of Public Health | The Armory
- 5:00 p.m. – Business School, MS | David Geffen Hall, Manhattanville Campus
- Teachers College | United Palace Theatre
- Varying times
Wednesday, May 15
- 12:00 p.m. – Journalism School | Roone Arledge Auditorium, Lerner Hall
- 2:00 p.m. – Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons | The Armory
- 4:00 p.m. – Barnard College | Radio City Music Hall
- 7:00 p.m. – School of the Arts | Roone Arledge Auditorium, Lerner Hall
- Teachers College | United Palace Theatre
- Varying times
Thursday, May 16
- 10:00 a.m. – Occupational Therapy | Alumni Auditorium, CUIMC
- 10:30 a.m. – Dental Medicine, Predoctoral | The Armory
- 2:00 p.m. – Institute of Human Nutrition | Alumni Auditorium, CUIMC
- 4:00 p.m. – Dental Medicine, Postdoctoral | The Armory
