Columbia University
Statement of Values
Department of History, Columbia University
[Approved by the Executive Committee on 19 October 2022]
The History Department (faculty, students and staff) is committed to providing an intellectual, professional and social environment that is free from bias, discrimination and abuses of power. We will ensure, to the best of our ability, that the Department acknowledges and actively tries to transform social conditions formed in the past and still prevalent today, under which certain people, due to their race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, economic, social, or religious status, find themselves in the world with fewer opportunities than others.
We are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and respectful environment. In order to promote ethical and responsible collegiality, we pledge to respect boundaries, professional, physical and personal. Individuals in positions of power over others, such as tenured vis-à-vis untenured faculty, faculty vis-à-vis students, and colleagues in administrative positions, must be careful not to leverage (or threaten to leverage) that power in ways that violate professional standards or personal boundaries. Peer-to-peer relations among all members of the community must follow the standards of professionalism and respect personal dignity.
We will work to ensure equal access to opportunity for all members of our community, and to dismantle unnecessary hierarchies in departmental decision-making. To that end, we pledge to continuously observe and perfect our practices in graduate admissions, new faculty hires, curriculum, advising, mentorship, classroom practices, and our social relations within the department.