Columbia’s Next President, Minouche Shafik, Connects With Community Leaders at Manhattanville Market
Shafik met with local elected officials at a breakfast reception hosted by Presiding Justice Rolando T. Acosta.
Columbia’s Manhattanville campus is an integral part of the institution’s landscape; constructed with the intention to cultivate spaces designed to foster community and connection. Since its rise, it has served as the backdrop for critical conversations with local elected officials, community leaders, and neighbors; evolved into a place that celebrates and amplifies the local arts and culture scene through community-driven programming; and has been a meeting hub where innovation and creativity is sparked over a cup of Dear Mama coffee.
When Nemat “Minouche” Shafik delivered remarks on January 18, after it was announced she was elected by the Board of Trustees to serve as the University’s 20th president, she spoke about the importance of deepening connections with surrounding communities.
“One of the things that attracted me so much to Columbia was your commitment to the notion that universities can and must engage beyond their walls,” Shafik said. “That engagement is even more critical in overcoming skepticism in some quarters as to what and whether universities actually make a positive contribution to society. For Columbia, that commitment starts in our neighboring communities and extends across the globe.”
On January 20, along her three-day campus tour, Shafik attended a breakfast reception at Manhattanville Market to meet with local elected officials and community leaders. The celebration was hosted by Rolando T. Acosta (CC’79, LAW'82), Presiding Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, and member of the Columbia Board of Trustees.
"These are very exciting times for us at Columbia and it should also be in the Upper Manhattan community,” Acosta said during the welcoming remarks. “In Minouche, we believe that we found the perfect candidate: a brilliant and able global leader. A community builder. A preeminent economist who understands the economy, but most importantly understands the world around the economy. For us as community leaders, who have seen our relationship with Columbia improving, bringing in Minouche as someone who understands the dynamic, the work that we do, and our responsibility as an institution is crucial."
Among the attendees that filled Manhattanville Market were New York City Council Member Shaun Abreu, Assemblyman Al Taylor, and Senator Robert Jackson.
Check out photos from the festive breakfast reception below.
