On Friday, the newly-inaugurated President Laura Ann Rosenbury addressed the community about her foundations for the future of Barnard College and was met with chanting demonstrators.

On February 2, a celebration was held for the inauguration of Laura Ann Rosenbury, the ninth president of Barnard College. The inauguration ceremony was held in Riverside Church from 2 to 4 pm with an all-campus celebration following immediately after. The inauguration was faced with demonstrators after recent discourse on campus surrounding President Rosenbury’s response to the recent events in Gaza and ongoing student protests. Outside Riverside Church, protesters circled within a barricade, holding Palestinian flags. 

Concurrently, a large protest took place at the 116th and Broadway gates outside of Columbia’s main campus. Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and pro-Palestine organization Within Our Lifetime demonstrated alongside increased NYPD presence.

Rosenbury’s inauguration ceremony began with a procession of guests accompanied by music to the rhythm of “Home” by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, reportedly President Rosenbury’s favorite song. The procession included Barnard College alumni, Columbia and Barnard senior administrators and trustees, Barnard faculty members, inauguration committee members, and two former Barnard presidents, Sian Beilock and Ellen Futter. 

Opening remarks were given by trustee Jyoti Menon (BC ʼ01). Menon addressed the crowd and called on them “to honor the achievements of President Rosenbury and attest to [their] faith and hope in the Barnard College community.” Menon then asked guests to switch on candles handed out at the church entrance and spoke to their light as a symbol for the College’s value of the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. 

Provost Linda Bell followed, speaking on the strong intellectual tradition of Barnard’s history as essential for President Rosenbury to build upon. In a similar vein, a representative for the College staff and member of the Presidential Search Committee, Alexa Easter (BC ’23), commended the decision of the Presidential Search Committee, but warned President Rosenbury that “Barnard students are open minded yet unshakable in their values.” Easter called Barnard a place that challenges the status quo, a reinforcement of the importance of discourse: “Challenge is actually an invitation to the conversation.” 

Professor Chistopher Baswell spoke on behalf of the faculty, discussing the importance of “open debate, freedom of speech and due process.” President of the Student Government Association Mariame Sissoko (BC ’24) spoke on behalf of the Barnard student body, mentioning the importance of listening and caring for Barnard students and stating Barnard’s values of “excellence, empathy, and evergoing hope that a better world is possible.”

Chair of the Board of Trustees Cheryl Glicker Milstein (BC ’82) shared a list of President Rosenbury’s accomplishments, from her contributions to education and feminist law, to her advocacy for women’s rights and reproductive justice. 

President Minouche Shafik, who spoke on behalf of Columbia University, acknowledged the “mutually enriching partnership” between Barnard and Columbia, citing the achievements of Barnard alumni.

The first speaker to introduce President Rosenbury was Martha Minow, President Rosenbury’s professor at Harvard Law School. In her speech, Minow discussed President Rosenbury’s ability to establish connections between relevant topics, issues, and people.

Following Minow’s speech, Nalini Kotamraju, Senior Vice President of Research and Insights at Salesforce, spoke on President Rosenbury. Kotamraju, Rosenbury’s first year roommate at Harvard, shared anecdotes about their years together as undergraduates and congratulated Rosenbury for her achievements.

Glicker Milstein proceeded with the investiture of the Barnard leadership insignia: a medal engraved with a figure of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and the Barnard motto. President Rosenbury received the medal and approached the podium to give her speech.

Shortly after President Rosenbury arrived at the podium, a demonstrator who was reported to be a Barnard alum stood from the crowd and repeatedly chanted “Shame on you.” Music began playing as the demonstrator was chanting, and they were escorted out. President Rosenbury resumed her speech and was interrupted by another demonstrator, reportedly a Jewish alum, who shouted the same phrase and was also escorted out. As a third demonstrator stood up, Rosenbury responded, “Feel free to speak.” 

Following this, multiple demonstrators stood up in the crowd and began shouting. Music started to play again, and audience members began clapping over the voices of the demonstrators. The inauguration’s live stream cut audio and played music while demonstrators spoke in the church. One demonstrator addressed Rosenbury saying, “Shame, shame Rosenbury; as you’re speaking, kids are buried.”

President Rosenbury began her speech and reflected on the state of Barnard’s campus, saying, “Our differences are no longer celebrated… we are pitted against each other.” She then stated the importance of higher education in creating discussion, noting that “how to have dialogue, reject hatred… it starts here.”

President Rosenbury delineated her foundations for the future of Barnard. She discussed strengthening the community beyond the College and looking at how other universities have mediated conflicts in the last four months: “We must commit to disagree better.” Rosenbury also looked towards improving the infrastructure of all buildings on campus, the creation of the new Francine LeFrak Center opening in the summer, and her commitment to the well-being and mental health of students. Rosenbury then discussed her future plans for Barnard. She discussed launching a loan forgiveness program, which would allow Barnard to be more accessible to the middle class, as well as confronting the climate crisis and artificial intelligence with a goal of net zero emissions on campus by 2040. She also voiced her goal of reaching a 10-year funding goal of a one billion dollar endowment. 

President Rosenbury ended off her speech by stating, “[We will make] sure the whole world knows about Barnard.” The inauguration drew to a close with the audience singing along to “College on a Hilltop,” Barnard’s alma mater.

A campus-wide celebration was held immediately after with food and student performances, marking the end of President Rosenbury’s inauguration celebration.

President Rosenbury’s Inauguration via Barnard Instagram