Donald Goldfarb, new Interim Dean of SEAS

Minutes ago, PrezBo and Coatsworth sent out the following email to the SEAS community, announcing Dean Peña-Mora’s sudden resignation. Could it have something to do with the faculty’s letters of no confidence last year (and this year)? Last fall, the Times reported that 80% of tenured faculty supported his replacement in a strongly worded letter. Faculty were dissatisfied with his handling of Columbia’s notorious lack of space, charging that he “repeatedly disavowed both written and oral agreements with individual departments.” Faculty also complained that he spent too much time fundraising off-campus.

The May issue of The Blue & White carried an interview with the former dean about those very issues. He had this simile to share with a B&W staffer: “The departments are like states, and states have their interests. But the federal government has to do what’s best for the country as a whole. I need to make decisions that are best for SEAS as a whole.”

“The faculty sometimes interpret my words to mean more than what I say,” Peña-Mora told The Blue & White. “I like to speak enthusiastically, but some take it very literally.”

“It is true,” Coatsworth told the Times, “that there are a number of cases in which Feniosky made a commitment and then found with further study that he couldn’t meet the commitment. Mostly they had to do with space.”

This is oddly reminiscent of last summer’s Moodygate. We’re calling it Peñamonium. Here’s the email that was sent to students:

July 3, 2012

Dear members of the SEAS community,

We write to say that Professor Feniosky Peña-Mora has submitted his resignation as Dean of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. We thank Professor Peña-Mora for his service as Dean and look forward to his future academic contributions as a faculty member in the fields of civil engineering and engineering mechanics, earth and environmental engineering, and computer science.

We are fortunate that Professor Donald Goldfarb will serve as Interim Dean while a search is conducted for a new dean. A faculty member of the School of Engineering and Applied Science since 1982 and currently executive vice dean, Professor Goldfarb has served once before as acting dean of SEAS and is therefore well positioned to lead the school effectively through this transition. With his experienced leadership, we are committed as a university to maintaining the forward progress of the School of Engineering and Applied Science in the months and years ahead.

Over the next several weeks, we will be discussing with the faculty and SEAS community how best to chart the future course for the School.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger

John H. Coatsworth

Update, 2:09 pm: KevSho sent along his thoughts, mentioning “many of the student-centered initiatives started by Feniosky Peña-Mora.”

Dear School of Engineering and Applied Science Students,

As many of you have seen by now, President Bollinger and Provost Coatsworth announced today that Feniosky Peña-Mora, who has served as Dean of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science for the last three years, has submitted his resignation. Professor Donald Goldfarb, executive vice dean, has been appointed as interim dean.

We look forward to working with him, the senior leadership of SEAS, and the University to make this transition period as smooth as possible. As we continue our work in enhancing student life here at Columbia, we are committed to carrying on with many of the student-centered initiatives started by Feniosky Peña-Mora.

We look forward to welcoming you all for the 2012–2013 academic year.

Sincerely,

Kevin Shollenberger

Dean of Student Affairs

Columbia College | Columbia Engineering

Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Student Life

Arts and Sciences

Update, 2:37 pm: SEAS released an official statement via their website. Pretty standard, exceedingly neutral, quote from Interim Dean Goldfarb: “We have an extremely strong school, superb faculty, and excellent students—in short, an incredible community of scholars—and I am looking forward to working with them all in my new role as interim dean.”

Update, 7/4 2 pm: The inevitable New York Times article about this features a statement from Peña-Mora himself. He doesn’t sound happy.

In his own statement, Dr. Peña-Mora said that under his watch, the engineering school had greatly increased its number of student applicants, doubled the size of its annual fund and risen in the national rankings of engineering graduate programs. “Differences of opinion are inevitable at times of change, and criticism of a leader bringing about the change can be expected, particularly, I suppose, when the person is an outsider both institutionally and in other ways,” he wrote.

“When certain senior faculty then saw fit to press their own interests through personal attacks on me, I was disappointed,” he added. He went on to say that his critics “did not, in my view, serve Columbia well, and, in the end, the discourse offered no model to our students of how faculty in a diverse and thriving academic environment should conduct themselves.”

Update, 7/5: ESC has released a statement; it’s much of the same. Check it out:

Dear Columbia Engineering Students,

As many of you may have already heard, Dean Feniosky Peña-Mora submitted his resignation as Dean of Columbia Engineering. We, the Engineering Student Council, would like to thank the Dean for his impact on students and service to our school for the past three years. Many of the goals we were able to accomplish on behalf of the students would not have been possible without his support and guidance.

As we look to the upcoming school year, we hope to develop a fruitful partnership with interim Dean Donald Goldfarb. We welcome Dean Goldfarb and look forward to working with him on developing the next steps for our school.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to email us atesc@columbia.edu.

Sincerely,
Engineering Student Council

Goldberg via SEAS

As he does from time to time, last night PrezBo opened the doors to his grandiose abode on Morningside Drive to a number of students and administrators for the latest in his Rooseveltian series of fireside chats. A pair of Bwog editors were in attendance, and positioned themselves on a soft couch to listen in on the night’s discourse.

As the thirty-some undergraduates climbed the elegant staircase within the president’s mansion yesterday evening, they were greeted by a large display of finger foods surrounded by a host of hungry students—many of them notable campus characters. After about 20 minutes of schmoozing and snacking on miniature pizzas and breads, the students were shepherded into the main sitting room, which contained neat rows of chairs as well as the promised fireside.

PrezBo entered without fanfare and made his way to the stool waiting for him at the front of the room, pausing briefly before quieting the room in his trademark soft, paternal tones. He introduced the other administrators in the room—among them KevSho and Kenneth Prewitt—and then solicited questions from the crowd, adding as always the caveat that while they could ask him whatever they liked, he “could choose not to answer whatever he liked,” as well, garnering himself a handful of polite laughs.

When the chuckles waned, the first question was asked—likely one PrezBo never would have predicted: does he have plans to retire after his (recently extended) term as Columbia’s president is over? He hinted vaguely at other side projects he would like to finish up, including helping to see the Manhattanville expansion through as far as possible, before giving an apparently earnest answer that he wishes to continue as an educator and a scholar after he steps down from leadership.

The next question was far more topical, and regarded PrezBo’s reaction to the controversy surrounding the SEAS faculty’s recent vote of no confidence in Dean Peña-Mora. PrezBo expressed nothing but confidence in “Feni,” reminding the attendees that he is still a new dean, and that the engineering school has seen a great deal of improvement, both in the rankings beyond them, over the past few years.

Read on for Manhattanville, student wellness, and the McKinsey Report

It seems like just yesterday that PrezBo anointed Feniosky Peña-Mora dean of SEAS. Back in 2009, that halcyon year, Feni was talked up by ‘Bo, wore a doofy tee shirt, and hell, even sat down with OldBwog. These days are a little less rosy—the Times, which first profiled the guy in ’09, has of late reported that the SEAS faculty is talking shit, saying he’s not a good dean. While we (the pinnacle of journalistic integrity, to be sure) won’t take a side, we will commit to standing by and making gratuitous observations of all sorts. Last semester we had fun examining why PrezBo is such a badass, so when a tipster alerted us to this story from Feni’s time at U of I, we decided to compare and contrast Peña-Mora, then and now, professor and dean, through the medium of photography. Conor Skelding reports from his couch.

• Hair. At U of I, Peña-Mora’s hair was unkempt, curly, and jet black; youthful and dorky and befitting of a civil engineer. Today, his ‘do is marked by a distinguished streak of gray, sandwiched by a closely cropped, conservative, black head of hair, more pepper than salt.
• Beard. A goatee is a bold choice. It’s also a signifier of a sort of youthful self-reliance—one that was later exchanged for a clean-shaven jawline that says “fundraiser-chic.”
  
• Eyes. Look at the former Feni’s hungry and challenging eyes—how they meet your gaze. They boast: “I do science! Give me science to do!” Today, his eyes are kinder—they invite, asking, “Will you help bring the best engineering and applied science students and faculty to Morningside Heights?”
• Lips. Here we see yet another shift from “challenge” to “invite.” Years ago, Feni’s lips were flat and even a bit self-satisfied; he had an inside joke, and it was with himself. But those coy lips would only grant you smile if you earned it. Now, look at Feni’s Low Library portrait: his lips are turned up slightly in a friendly half-smile. Even the smallest donation demonstration of goodwill will knock those puppies into a full-fledged grin.
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The leadership of SEAS Dean Feniosky Peña-Mora was brought under intense scrutiny in an article in The New York Times today. The story notes the numerous resignations of department heads since his arrival, citing frustration with his direction. This semester, two letters of no confidence in the Dean—signed by the majority of tenured faculty in SEAS—have been sent to University administrators. The most recent, circulated in October, asserted that “the morale of the faculty and their trust in Dean Peña-Mora are reaching an all-time low,” and that “a quick change in leadership” was needed. The entire letter, while sent to administrators in October, was uploaded to the Times website today. The primary source of dissatisfaction is Peña-Mora’s rapid expansion of the school, whose student body has swelled in size without providing any more space for research, or appropriate increases in faculty. According to the Times:

He arrived at a time when Columbia was determined to raise the profile of its engineering school, which includes bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. The school had fewer than 1,400 graduate students in 2005, more than 1,900 when the new dean took over, and 2,400 now. The faculty has also grown, but not as fast… Professors say that an effort to reshuffle the available space ignored their input and made matters worse.

More than anything, Peña-Mora was criticized for being unwilling to listen to criticism.

Among professors interviewed, nearly all of whom insisted on anonymity for fear of angering the administration, the most persistent criticism was that Dr. Peña-Mora simply did not listen.

“He’s a control freak, in my opinion,” said Van C. Mow, who said he stepped down as chairman of biomedical engineering because “I got tired of banging my head against the wall.”

Faculty have further suggested that the Dean’s hiring practices favor profits over academic interests. The faculty letter claimed that “candidates with impressive academic records and outstanding recommendations are discounted if their fields do not promise major funding for the school.”

Peña-Mora did not provide much comment, except to say that the culture at Columbia “takes some getting used to.” Interim Provost John Coatsworth conceded that the faculty had “perfectly legitimate concerns” and admitted that Peña-Mora had broken promises he made to them. Coatsworth does not believe these problems are sufficient grounds for dismissing the Dean.

The article also reiterates the Times’ pressing (and inexplicable) need to exploit the racial undertones of the story, suggesting that the only reason PrezBo is keeping him around is because Peña-Mora, who hails from the Dominican Republic, would be the third high-profile minority administrator to step down this year.

When Dr. Peña-Mora was hired, it was the third time in quick succession that the university had filled a high-ranking post with the first minority member to hold that job. That fact drew considerable attention, especially in light of Mr. Bollinger’s national reputation as an advocate of ethnic diversity and affirmative action.

The first two of those appointees, both African-Americans, have left in the last six months: Claude M. Steele, who was provost, departed in June to become dean of Stanford University’s School of Education, and Michele M. Moody-Adams, the dean of Columbia College, quit her administrative post in frustration as school began but remains on the faculty. Some professors speculate that Mr. Bollinger is standing by Dr. Peña-Mora in part out of fear of criticism from minority communities.

Coatsworth dismissed such claims as insulting to those involved, and Peña-Mora declined to comment on the issue.

ESC gathers to listen to the wise words of the dean

Sean Zimmermann gives you the scoop from last night’s ESC meeting.

• Dean Peña-Mora spoke to the council last night in search of student feedback. He first clarified that the Engineering Library in Mudd is not closing. The new Northwest Corner Building library does not have many books (it’s a “library for the 21st century”), but it will not replace the current Engineering Library.
• Peña-Mora next explained that Columbia’s bid for the city’s $100 million engineering school grant was “at the printer.” Earlier this year, Mayor Bloomberg promised a location and funding for “infrastructure upgrades” to a selected university’s proposal “to build or expand a ‘world-class’ science and engineering campus in New York City.”
• When asked about the new Gateway program, Peña-Mora detailed that the current course was created based on recommendations of a special committee, and will be an “evolutionary process.” While “there will be changes over the next two years,” all engineering school classes are under constant review and the current Gateway course “is not a pilot.”

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Columbia University recently announced that Ralph Izzo, SEAS ’79, will deliver this year’s SEAS Class Day address. If you haven’t heard of him, let it be known that Izzo is kind of a big deal. With a BS and MS in mechanical engineering and a PhD in applied physics, Izzo has graduated from Columbia quite a few times, so we imagine he’s heard his fair share of Class Day addresses.

As Chairman of the Board, president, and CEO of the New Jersey-based Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), Ralph Izzo “makes things work for you.” PSEG is a company that specializes in “safe, reliable, economic, and green energy,” so Izzo takes his environmentalism very seriously. As Dean Peña-Mora states in the university press release, “Ralph Izzo is a national leader in the fields of energy, nuclear policy, and climate change, all areas that greatly impact the world today…He exemplifies how engineers are making a difference across the globe, helping to solve complex problems that we all are facing and making the world a better place in which to live.” On the whole, Izzo looks like a good guy, even if he is from New Jersey.

Photo from Forbes.com

Dean Peña-Mora Visits ESC

Sean Zimmermann reports from Monday’s meeting of the ESC.

SEAS Dean Feniosky Peña-Mora came to tonight’s Engineering Student Council meeting. President Christopher Elizondo introduced Dean Peña-Mora as “the greatest champion for engineering students that we have on campus.”

The Dean opened by explaining that he had “no particular agenda,” for the meeting, but he wanted to observe how a normal council meeting worked. The council then moved into a Q&A session for council members to discuss issues with the Dean.

When asked how the school could develop a better sense of community with the surrounding Morningside residents, the Dean explained that he had been focusing on developing the engineering school’s own community rather than working on relations with the outside community. The Dean cited his office’s work in developing SEAS pride, such as the SEAS scarves and ties given to seniors, as well as the planned student carnival next year. He explained that the engineering school “may have small numbers,” but should have “a strong presence.”

The Dean also spoke about the Manhattanville expansion during the meeting. Peña-Mora explained that the cost of building into Manhattanvile will be “significant,” and though there is a place in the Manhattanvile expansion reserved for the engineering school, he explained that any development is at least 10 years away. The Dean explained that the engineering school is hoping to acquire space in Uris Hall (currently occupied by Columbia Business School) when the Business School moves into Manhattanville in 7 years, but there are “many others vying for the space.”

Additionally, the Dean explained, in today’s world, an undergraduate degree in engineering is not enough. Therefore, a committee of professors tasked with investigating the undergraduate curriculum has recommended that all departments develop integrated BS/MS programs, similar to the ones already in place in the Electrical and Mechanical departments. The programs allow student to begin taking Masters courses in their senior year, so they could receive their undergraduate and graduate degrees in 5 years.

Also in Peña-Mora news,  Columbia General Council was “not thrilled” with the idea of the Dean going skydiving. Therefore, after consulting with Columbia’s lawyers, it has been decided that the skydiving with Dean Peña-Mora event will not take place due to liability issues.

And on the first day, He created PrezBo's hair

Orientation Day One is hardly over yet—there’s still Class Act to see, Gates to run through, and high fives not to give. Here are some scenes from the first eight hours of this long trek of a day. 2014, you kids look good out there. Welcome!

Pictures and video of Day One to come. Send us your first night stories and pictures!

• We caught up with some Sex is Sexy coordinators, who showed us their shirts (black and red!) and their badges. Each Sex is Sexy group has a name. Some of our favorites: Consent Builders, No Means No, Yes Means Yes, (VAMPIRE WEEKEND) and Consensual Seduction.
• Convocation was what it always is: hot, too long, and actually pretty sweet. Kevin “Kev” Shollenberger began his speech by telling the audience they should “be grateful you don’t have to wear a black polyester robe today.”
• We learned that there were 159 flags represented at the Convocation march, and that the Class of 2014 comes from 48 different states, and 52 different countries.
• Cliff Massey Kevin Magos, CC ’12 and NSOP maestro, took the stage next, and talked about Columbia as home. Borrowing our favorite 7th grade strategy for rushed papers, he quoted the Merriam Webster dictionary’s definition of home to give us a better sense of what Columbia as home means. Then he quoted Ms. Frizzle and redeemed himself: “it’s time to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.”
• The alum speaker, president of the SEAS Alumni Foundation, brandished his original Columbia ID card during his speech.
• Feniosky Peña-Mora and MiMoo were both truly adorable as usual. Peña-Mora introducing MiMoo: “you might say this marks the beginning of our sophomore year together.”
• MiMoo and PrezBo both gave genuinely good speeches, rare for Convocation. It’s the first time Bwog has heard Columbia administrators talk about ideas like learning for the simple joy of learning, and using college as a time, as PrezBo said, when you can be “single-minded about learning.” Another PrezBo gem, speaking for the old folk: “For us, it’s not ‘been there, done that,’ it’s been there, and would do it again in a heartbeat.”
• Overheard on the line to the cookout on Low Plaza: An OL to his group: “Do you want to keep consent sexy?” Fresh-person with foreign accent: “Oh, I’m bringing sexy back!”
• A parent asked an OL if there were bedbugs in Columbia dorms, because she read it about it “in the news.”

SEAS Classes of 2011 and 2012, be sure to join Dean Peña-Mora in Carleton Lounge in Mudd at 8:00pm tonight for an opportunity to meet him while grubbing on free pizza and drinks. Maybe even get his take on the swim test.

And for the rest of us, Amir’s on 114th and Broadway is having a special 2 for $1 “Falafel Bite” tonight. How big is a bite? It’s $1, who cares!

Dear readers,

As you may know, Columbia’s gotten a few new bigwigs this semester, and for the first time, the administration’s letting us interview them. Yep, next week, we will be interviewing Provost Claude Steele, CC Dean Michelle Moody-Adams, and SEAS Dean Feniosky Pena-Mora.

But rather than entrust the questions to our own journalistic abilities, we’re hoping you can help us out with the questions from you, the readers. This is a chance to ask that one question you’ve been dying to know the answer to, but would rather not attend a tea/fireside chat for. You can either post your questions (anonymously) in the comments section of this post (which will remain in our headline box until we’ve received enough questions), or send them to bwog@columbia.edu. Happy interrogating!

Sincerely,

The Bwog Staff

After two years with an interim dean, PrezBo announced five months ago that SEAS has a new dean.  Feni set up shop in Mudd this summer and to welcome him, ESC is hosting a picnic party on the plaza in front of Pupin from 4 to 6 this afternoon.

This evening, when the indigestion from all the free food has worn off, head over to the Lerner ramps for some free, mysterious “jelly snacks.”  Based on the poster, the only other way to describe them would be “those little weird jelly-filled cups you can get at M2M.”  AAA will be hosting this study break from 9-10 because, you know, you really need to relax after such a tough week.

Photos by SVZ

You may have heard that SEAS is  bringing in an outsider, Feniosky Peña-Mora, to be its next dean. This may bring a tide of change for the oft-forgotten school on the windiest corner of campus, which has been governed for the last two years by a fatigued physics professor.

Certainly, in his last email, PrezBo assured us he’s qualified, but will he fit in?  The New York Times caught wind of it and, wide-eyed, spilled the beans on this mysterious figure.

First, we ensure that he is a proper engineer.  At the age of 7, he used Popsicle sticks to bridge his sister’s Barbie world with his own.  “Feni” then grew up to work on the Big Dig in Boston.  Real-world impact?  Check.

Second, we verify that he has some donor-pleasing personality quirk.  The Gray Lady informs us that when naming his children Feni “employed an algorithm that factored in such characteristics as the parents’ and grandparents’ names, the children’s birth weights and the months of their conception and birth.”  Offspring who will never forgive him?  Check.

Last, PrezBo loves him.  Always eloquent, he mumbled something to the Times reporter about “upward trajectories” before saying, “He [Peña-Mora] came to the last meeting with a PowerPoint presentation.”  Bureaucratic conformity?  Check.

Welcome to SEAS, Feni.  We’re pretty excited.  You know, for Columbia.

—AB