Before Stepping Down As Dean, Valentini Awarded Alexander Hamilton Medal, CCAA's Highest Honor

Upper West Side NY

03 May, 2022

4:32 PM

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By Irie Sentner Stella Pagkas, Columbia Daily Spectator • May 3, 2022, 2:38 AM Columbia College Dean James Valentini was awarded the Alexander Hamilton Medal on Wednesday, the highest honor one can receive from Columbia College Alumni Association. The honor comes just weeks before Valentini will step down from the position in June. Valentini, whose sudden departure was announced by University President Lee Bollinger in September without reason, has served as dean of the College and vice president of undergraduate education for over a decade. His time has been defined by a commitment to strengthening the Core Curriculum and fundraising for undergraduate financial aid, as well as by widespread affection by the student body, which has nicknamed him "Deantini." At a gala hosted in Valentini's honor, students, faculty, and alumni sharedfond memories of the dean before he received the prestigious award. Columbia College Student Council Student Council Vice President for the Class of 2022 Arya Rao, CC '22, recalled the mentorship she has received from Valentini, his participation in annual snowball fights, and a conversation she had with the dean on one of her first days at Columbia. "He asked questions, he engaged deeply, he really sought to learn," she said. Valentini's final years saw numerous controversies, during which he sometimes sparred with senior administrators, including University President Lee Bollinger. In a series of since-published emails from summer 2020, Valentini disagreed with Bollinger and then-interim Provost Ira Katznelson on their suggestion to require non-tenure-track faculty to return in person for the fall semester, as well as Executive Vice President for Arts and Sciences Amy Hungerford's request for them to reconsider the modality of their courses for the fall. Valentini also heads the Core Curriculum and the Student Life Working Group, one of three working groups and a steering committee looking into an undergraduate expansion inquiry. His particular working group has uncovered major issues in undergraduate student life and worked with CCSC to conduct a student sentiment survey, which garnered a record-high response rate and revealed widespread discontent among the student body surrounding academics, student life, and community. [Read more: Marred by politics, factions in expansion inquiry see different Columbias] After Valentini leaves, the role of College dean might be changing. On April 8, a restructuring task force headed by Bollinger released a report which included a proposal to establish a new Committee on Instruction. Chaired by a senior faculty member, this committee would oversee major academic decisions within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, taking away some of the authority of the College dean, if the recommendations are approved by the faculty and trustees. The EVP of Arts and Sciences position would also be renamed to the Dean of Arts and Sciences, a new title that would share many responsibilities with the College dean. [Read more: Restructuring Arts and Sciences: On his way out, Bollinger strains to fix a problem some say can only be managed] Despite uncertainty surrounding Valentini's successor and the future of their position, it is apparent that the dean's legacy at Columbia will remain with students, faculty, and community members. Before presenting Valentini with the award to mark his tremendous tenure at the College, Ted Schweitzer, CC '91, CCAA president, raised a toast "to the greatest dean of the greatest college in the greatest university in the greatest city in the world." News Editor Irie Sentner can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @iriesentner. Deputy News Editor Stella Pagkas can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @stellapagkas. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.