On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, local law enforcement attempted to gain entry to a Barnard residence hall, claiming to be looking for a student, according to an email from Barnard leadership.

Detailed below is a timeline of events of the detention and release of Elmina Aghayeva on February 26, 2026, including campus activity and response. 

Amidst student criticism for the February 9 decision to hold the 2026 Commencement off-campus at Baker Athletic Complex, the University announced their decision on Tuesday, following conversations with student leaders.

An anti-ICE demonstration took place Thursday, February 5, 2026, outside Columbia University’s 116th Street and Broadway gates, where NYPD officers made 12 arrests, including students and faculty.

Mnookin, who currently serves as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will step into the role July 1, 2026 after a nine month national search.

Columbia introduced a new minor in Artificial Intelligence for undergraduates not studying computer science.

The Student Workers of Columbia (SWC) claim that the administration has surveilled and threatened union members for participating in a practice demonstration on October 17, “flouting the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and explicitly extending its suppression of free speech to labour action.”

The Columbia Elections Commission released the results of the Fall 2025 CCSC and ESC elections this Monday in an email to CC and SEAS students. 

On Monday, October 27, members of Sunrise Columbia protested the usage of fossil fuel funding in Columbia’s Center for Global Energy Policy (CGEP) research. 

On Monday, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Amy Hungerford announced compensation and stipend increases for student employees, after a cancelled bargaining session with the Student Workers of Columbia (SWC).

In an email to students last Friday, the Student Affairs Committee highlighted extensive “troubling” changes made to the Rules of University Conduct over the summer, expressing concerns over a lack of transparency from the Board of Trustees.

On Wednesday, September 17, Barnard President Laura Rosenbury published a Guest Essay in the New York Times, accompanied by an email to Barnard students. 

A graduate student was handcuffed and released by several individuals claiming to be federal agents last Tuesday, according to an email from Acting President Claire Shipman.

Amelia Alverson will step down as Executive Vice President (EVP) for University Development and Alumni Relations on September 15, 2025.

The Trump Administration has said that it will review the visa statuses of the 78 students arrested in the Butler Library occupation on Wednesday, May 7.