Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Last week, Jennifer Mnookin assumed the presidency of Columbia University, making her the fourth leader of the Ivy League institution in less than four years.
If can bring together a notoriously fractured campus, said one former university president, Columbia can “model to the rest of the nation the value of the universities” — and prove the higher-ed critics wrong about the state of speech and community on campus.
Is she up for the task? Senior reporter Francie Diep breaks down what Mnookin's admirers, critics, and Mnookin herself say about how she'll approach the presidency. Read more:
Last week, Jennifer Mnookin assumed the presidency of Columbia University, making her the fourth leader of the Ivy League institution in less than four years.
If can bring together a notoriously fractured campus, said one former university president, Columbia can “model to the rest of the nation the value of the universities” — and prove the higher-ed critics wrong about the state of speech and community on campus.
Is she up for the task? Senior reporter Francie Diep breaks down what Mnookin's admirers, critics, and Mnookin herself say about how she'll approach the presidency. Read more:
