Sure, the university’s fearless leader may have seen his salary slip slightly, but PrezBo’s got another trick up his sleeve for the holidays: a new book. Uninhibited, Robust, and Wide-Open: A Free Press for a New Century will be released by Oxford University Press in December, with Amazon and Barnes and Noble listing the official […]

Know what you’re going to be for Halloween? Neither do we. With three days to go, it’s time to give in and get serious—you’re not going to buck gender normativity this year, pal. But all is not lost, with this list of easy-to-find, last minute costumes. Hustle over to Ricky’s (you know you’ve always wanted […]

Reuters reports that an Iranian court has sentenced Kian Tajbakhsh, a U.S.-Iranian scholar, to more than 12 years in prison due to alleged espionage and acts against national security.  Tajbakhsh was taken into custody in July after the disputed June election triggered mass chaos and civilian uprising in Iran.  As Reuters explains, “The verdict looked […]

In a scandal straight out of Days of Our Lives, PrezBo’s housekeeper is suing Columbia for alleged abuse.  Irena Medvedik, 67, claims that not only did the house manager assault her, but that she was forced to resign because “she is elderly and…of Polish national origin.”  The self-proclaimed President of Affirmative Action might just have […]

A few times every semester, PrezBo invites students into his home to ask questions and chow down on some top-quality hors d’oeuvres. Bwog Editor and Senior Hair Correspondent James Downie reports. Eager first-years and grizzled seniors packed into the President’s stately abode (located right behind Wien, presumably to taunt unlucky juniors) on Thursday night, armed […]

Dying from a heart attack, seizing up, or miscarrying from the swine flu vaccine? The Feds say not to worry, this kind of stuff happens all the time, vaccine or no vaccine. (NYT) Support or disagree with a University Senate-imposed Smoking ban? Hold your horses! In their first meeting of the year, PrezBo reminded them […]

   Photo via AmericanRhetoric.com It’s that time again!  The seventh annual Columbia University World Leaders Forum, brainchild of our own Lee C., is right around the corner.  This year, PrezBo “invites you to join him in welcoming” exciting people such as Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the President (and former first lady) of Argentina, Martti Ahtisaari, […]

In these economic times, we all want to add that extra line to the CV. President Bollinger’s version of this appears to be upping his profile slightly at the New York Federal Reserve, where today he was named as deputy chair of its board of directors. Bollinger has been a member of the New York […]

In April, we reported that rumors both on campus and in print were suggesting that Professor Joseph Massad would soon be granted tenure. Now, everyone’s favorite tabloid/monitor-of-all-Columbia-controversies, the New York Post, reports (via HuffPo) that Massad has been granted tenure.  In an article neutrally-entitled “Columbia Tenures An Israel Basher,” columnist Jacob Gershman writes that Columbia […]

PrezBo has decided to close the academic year with a less-than-cheery missive about the University’s budget. Not surprisingly, the numbers have declined more since January: “For the first nine months of the University’s fiscal year ending on March 31, 2009, the value of the endowment declined nearly 22%, with private investments and real assets valued […]

A roving gang of mustachioed bandits invaded campus yesterday. Before they were chased off by the NYPD Special Trimming Squad, though, they got a very special photo op.  Salvador Dalí would be so proud.

Today, a group of faculty members sent a letter with 120 professor signatures regarding PrezBo’s “silence regarding academic freedom in Palestine.” While the last Israel/Palestine student rally may not have exactly been of 1968-proportions (ah, but what is these days), the faculty list has many well-known professors, including Lila Abu-Lughod, Gil Anidjar, Richard Bulliet, Yinon […]

Bwog’s David Berke ventured into the PrezBo abode for the latest fireside chat. President Bollinger hosted another fireside (though there is no fireplace) chat this evening, bringing undergraduates to his mansion for an hour-long discussion of campus concerns. The catered event, with ornate hors d’oeuvres and apple cider poured from stylish silver dispensers by black-tied […]

As you may or may not know, our  Fearless Leader recently spent some time at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and while he was there, he said several clever things to his fellow delegates.  The Financial Times Blog found his comments punchy enough to post.  Some of PrezBo’s sagacity: “All of the discussions […]

After PrezBo’s announcement about the state of the endowment, Bwog decided to see how Columbia’s finances are doing relative to other Ivies. The results offer great opportunities for schadenfreude since Columbia’s predicted loss may be the lowest in the League. As posted last night, Columbia has far out-performed Harvard and Yale, which lost 22 percent […]