GRADUATION CEREMONY | SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES 2021 Tuesday, April 27, 2021 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK About the School of Professional Studies Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies is committed to providing diverse, innovative programs to enable students to succeed in their educational and professional development. Our programs utilize Columbia University’s leadership in research and education to deliver flexible tradition- al and nontraditional programs to meet students where they are in their lives. The School is dedicated to enabling access to education in order to create a richer and more equitable society. The School’s programs are offered in multiple formats: from online asynchronous degree programs that allow full-time professionals to continue their development to intensive in-person programs that enable students to immerse themselves in their studies. Our programs serve high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, and the University’s neighbors at every stage of their personal and professional lives. Our Student Life and cocurricular programs ensure that students are able to access career coaching and development, special events and programs, and a wide array of clubs. The Academic Affairs division ensures that programs draw on the latest research to equip our students to innovate across sectors and mobilizes distinguished practitioner adjunct faculty to translate research into practice. Order of Academic Exercises DEAN’S AddRESS Troy J. Eggers Interim Dean, School of Professional Studies Executive Vice Provost, Columbia University INTRODUCTION OF KEYNOTE SPEAKER Steven A. Cohen, Ph.D. Senior Vice Dean, School of Professional Studies Professor in the Practice of Public Affairs, School of International and Public Affairs KEYNOTE AddRESS Letitia James New York State Attorney General William S. Beinecke Visiting Professor, School of International and Public Affairs PRESENTATION OF THE DEAN’S EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR ALUMNI Adam Siepiola Major Gifts Officer, School of Professional Studies PRESENTATION OF THE DEAN’S EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR STUDENTS AND THE CAMPBELL AWARD Tiffany Hughes, Ed.D. Associate Dean of Students, School of Professional Studies INTRODUCTION OF STUDENT SPEAKER Zelon Crawford Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs, School of Professional Studies STUDENT AddRESS Leda Strong 2021 Candidate for M.S. in Sports Management 1 Order of Academic Exercises PRESENTATION OF THE DEAN’S EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR FACULTY, THE DEAN’S EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR ADMINISTRATORS, AND THE TEAM IMPACT AWARD Louise Rosen Senior Associate Dean of Administrative Affairs, School of Professional Studies PRESENTATION OF THE CANdidATES Erik Nelson, Ph.D. Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, School of Professional Studies 2 Program Directors Kristine Billmyer, Ph.D. Professor of Professional Practice in the Faculty of Professional Studies; Dean Emerita of the Faculty of Professional Studies; Interim Program Director, M.S. in Strategic Communication Kitty Kay Chan, Ph.D. Professor of Professional Practice in Applied Analytics in the Faculty of Professional Studies; Program Director, M.S. in Applied Analytics Steven A. Cohen, Ph.D. Professor of Professional Practice in the Faculty of International and Public Affairs; Senior Vice Dean, School of Professional Studies; Program Director, M.S. in Sustainability Management Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Ph.D. Professor of Professional Practice in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in the Faculty of Professional Studies; Vice Executive Director, Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity; Program Director, M.S. in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Robert Klitzman, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry (in Sociomedical Sciences) at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Program Director, M.S. in Bioethics Art Langer, Ed.D. Professor of Professional Practice in Technology Management in the Faculty of Professional Studies; Program Director, M.S. in Technology Management Arthur Lerner-Lam, Ph.D. Lamont Research Professor in the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; Adjunct Professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences; Deputy Director, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; Program Director, M.S. in Sustainability Science 3 Program Directors Cindy Lott Associate Professor of Professional Practice in the Faculty of Professional Studies; Program Director, M.S. in Nonprofit Management Francisco X. Pineda Lecturer in the Discipline of Construction Administration in the Faculty of Professional Studies; Program Director, M.S. in Construction Administration Scott Rosner Professor of Professional Practice in Sports Management in the Faculty of Professional Studies; Program Director, M.S. in Sports Management Steve Safier, Ph.D. Lecturer in the Discipline of Human Capital Management in the Faculty of Professional Studies; Interim Program Director, M.S. in Human Capital Management Sim Segal Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Enterprise Risk Management in the Faculty of Professional Studies; Program Director, M.S. in Enterprise Risk Management Beth Semaya, Ph.D. Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, School of Professional Studies; Interim Program Director, M.S. in Information and Knowledge Strategy Danielle Spencer, Ph.D. Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Narrative Medicine in the Faculty of Professional Studies; Program Director, M.S. in Narrative Medicine Lina Xu, Ph.D. Lecturer in Professional Studies; Senior Program Director, M.S. in Actuarial Science 4 About the Speakers TROY J. EGGERS Troy Eggers has been a member of the Columbia community for nearly two decades. He was appointed Interim Dean of the School of Professional Studies, effective July 1, 2020. Eggers joined the Office of the Provost in 2011, under then Provost John Coatsworth, with the directive to ensure all aspects of academic management were functioning at the highest levels. As Executive Vice Provost, Eggers oversees the offices of Academic Programs; Faculty Affairs; Teaching, Learning, and Innovation; Faculty Advancement; and Communications and Engagement. Also under his oversight are the International Students & Scholars Office, Columbia University Press, The University Seminars, and the Alliance joint-venture between Columbia, École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University. He is a member of the University’s Emergency Management Operations Team and has been an integral part of the President’s Advisory Task Force on COVID-19. Prior to his time in the Office of the Provost, Eggers served as Senior Associate Dean of the School of International and Public Affairs, responsible for all student-related and administrative departments and functions. Before that he spent ten years at Columbia Business School, where he ran Executive Education, successfully seeing it through the challenges of the 2007–2008 financial crisis, and for a period also served as Assistant Dean of Executive MBA programs. 5 About the Speakers LETITIA JAMES Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General for the State of New York. With decades of work, she is an experienced attorney and public servant with a long record of accomplishments. She is the first woman of color to hold statewide office in New York and the first woman to be elected Attorney General. In 2013, James was elected Public Advocate for the City of New York and became the first woman of color to hold citywide office. As Public Advocate, James served as a watchdog over New York City government agencies and as an advocate for the City’s most vulnerable communities. She transformed the Public Advocate’s office to be a formidable engine for change. Her office handled over 32,000 constituent complaints and passed more legislation than all previous Public Advocates combined, including a groundbreaking law that banned questions about salary history from the employment process to address the pervasive gender wage gap. James successfully took on the gun industry by pushing New York City’s largest pension fund to divest from gun and ammunition retailers. She fought in court on behalf of children and families on issues including children in foster care, children with disabilities, and tenant protection. New Yorkers overwhelmingly elected James to a second term as Public Advocate in November 2017. Prior to serving as Public Advocate, James represented the 35th Council District in Brooklyn in the New York City Council for ten years. As a Council Member, she passed the Safe Housing Act, legislation that forced landlords to improve living conditions for tenants in New York City’s worst buildings. She helped uncover the corruption behind the Office of Payroll Administration’s CityTime contract, a scheme that cost New York City over $600 million. She also pushed through a revolutionary recycling package that included expanding plastic recycling, a new clothing and textile recycling program, and increased access to recycling in public spaces. Before her election to the City Council, James served as head of the Brooklyn Regional Office of the New York State Attorney General’s Office. She resolved 6 About the Speakers hundreds of consumer complaints and investigated predatory lenders who preyed on first-time homebuyers. She assisted the Civil Rights Bureau in its investigation of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy and cracked down on firms engaged in deceptive business practices including violations of human rights, environmental laws, and scams targeting immigrants. James began her career as a public defender at the Legal Aid Society. A proud