0 CommentsIn an email sent to General Studies students on Monday, September 16, Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch announced that two GS students, Brandon Christie and Keith McKellar, passed away in separate occurrences. Christie was reported missing last Monday, September 9.
Content warning: Student death
On Monday afternoon, students from the School of General Studies received an email from Dean Rosen-Metsch informing them that two students, Brandon Christie and Keith McKellar, have passed away in separate occurrences. Both students enrolled at Columbia in Fall 2021.
McKellar, originally from Newtown, Pennsylvania, studied computer science as a member of the Class of 2025. He began his academic journey at the University of Pittsburgh where he studied English and Creative Writing. He worked as a programmer before becoming a software engineer for The New York Times. McKellar was described by those who knew him as having “deep and sophisticated intellectual curiosity” and being a “self starter who was hardworking, responsible, caring, and engaged,” according to the email.
Christie served as a member of the United States Marine Corps for four and a half years and received his associate’s degree from Orange Coast College before enrolling at Columbia for Mathematics-Statistics. Christie was dedicated to serving student veterans; he received the GS Student Leadership Service Award for his work. He was also the director of community for the US Military Veterans of Columbia University. Rosen-Metsch described Christie as an “avid athlete and traveler of the world,” remarking that loved ones knew him as a “natural leader with a personable, kind, caring, and intelligent demeanor.”
Christie was reported missing on September 9; his vehicle was last seen in Saranac, a town in Adirondack Park. On September 15, the New York State Police reported he was found deceased in a wooded area near the public parking lot. Foul play was not suspected.
Rosen-Metsch provided various resources for grieving individuals, highlighting two community reflection spaces. On Monday, September 16 from 1 to 4 pm the Center for Veteran Transition and Integration (CVTI) at 205 Kent Hall is holding a reflection space. On Tuesday, September 17 from 10 am to 12 pm, the fourth floor Baer Room in Lewisohn Hall will hold another. GS Student Life and Wellbeing, Religious Life, and Counseling and Psychological Services teams will be present at the reflection spaces. The GS Wellbeing team will be available for walk-ins on September 16 from 10:30 am to 5 pm.
Dean Rosen-Metsch concluded her email by offering support to students and listing student resources, which can be found below.
Email sent from General Studies Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch to General Studies students on Monday, September 16 at 11:26 am:
Dear GS Students,
I am heartbroken to share with you the very sad news that we have lost, separately, two members of our GS community, Keith McKellar and Brandon Christie. Our thoughts and care go out to the families and friends of Keith and Brandon in this difficult time and going forward.
To begin the healing process, I want to share a little bit about both of our students, with recognition that we will always fall short of fully capturing the lives our students lived. I also want to remind all of us that we are not alone in dealing with loss. Challenging times like these require our community to be deliberate in supporting each other. I encourage you to attend the reflection spaces and drop-in hours described below, and to connect individually with peers, advisors, faculty, and members of our GS Wellbeing and Columbia Health teams. Remember to check in with friends and classmates who may be in need of support. As always, you can reach out to your academic advisor directly, and the staff at CPS and members of the Office of the University Chaplain are all available to provide you with additional support. I have listed contact information and additional resources below.
Keith McKellar came to Columbia GS in the fall of 2021 to pursue his passion for computer science and programming. After graduating from high school in Newtown, Pennsylvania, he attended the University of Pittsburgh for two years, studying English and Writing and then moved to Denver, where he discovered his passion for programming and web development. In the ensuing years, Keith built a very successful career as a programmer, eventually moving to New York City and taking a position at the New York Times, where he worked as a software engineer for many years until he enrolled at Columbia. Those who knew him best described his deep and sophisticated intellectual curiosity and said he was a self starter who was hard-working, responsible, caring, and engaged.
Brandon Christie served for four and a half years in the United States Marine Corps, after his graduation from high school in Little Chute, Wisconsin. Following his service in the Marine Corps, Brandon earned his associate’s degree from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, before coming to Columbia in the fall of 2021, where he was majoring in Mathematics-Statistics. Brandon was committed to service, especially in support of those who served, working with nonprofits including Warrior Scholar Project, Next Step Inbound, and Mentor Ukraine, while also serving as director of community for the U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University (MilVets). In the spring of 2022, he received a Service Award at the annual GS Student Leadership Awards Ceremony. He was an avid athlete and traveler of the world. Those who knew Brandon well described him as a natural leader with a personable, kind, caring, and intelligent demeanor.
We will be hosting two community reflection spaces; the first will be held on Monday, September 16 from 1-4 p.m. at the Center for Veteran Transition and Integration (CVTI) located at
205 Kent Hall and the second will be held on Tuesday, September 17 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in the Baer Room in Lewisohn Hall (4th floor), for all students and members of our community who wish to attend. We will have members of the GS Student Life and Wellbeing teams, Religious Life, and Columbia Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) present to provide support as needed. In addition, the GS Wellbeing team is available for walk-ins on Monday, September 16 from 10:30 a.m-5 p.m.
To our GS community—we are grieving with you and holding Brandon and Keith and their families and friends in our thoughts and hearts. Our entire staff at Columbia GS, as well as our colleagues throughout the campus, are available to offer continued support to you. I have listed contact information and additional resources below.
With deepest sorrow and in community,
Lisa Rosen-Metsch
Dean, Columbia School of General Studies
cc:
Shih-Fu Chang
Dean of Columbia Engineering
Josef Sorett
Dean of Columbia College
Vice President for Undergraduate Education
The GS Wellbeing Team
The Wellbeing team is available in 403 Lewisohn Hall, to offer support and guidance. Please reach out to gshealthandwellness@columbia.edu to book an appointment or request support.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS)
CPS provides 24/7 phone support available through on-call service, which is accessed by calling (212) 854-2878 and following the recorded directions.
Center for Religious Life
The Earl Hall Center for Religious Life may be reached for spiritual counseling at (646) 906-5913 (Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET and by appointment after hours and during the weekends). For those on campus, Earl Hall and Saint Paul’s Chapel are open from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, for prayer and reflection.
Office of University Life
Butler Library via Bwog Archives
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