Dear Members of the TC Community,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to a new academic year at Teachers College. More than 900 new students arrived on campus last week for an energizing orientation program and I’m excited to see the activity in our hallways.  

This fall, a total of more than 4,000 students from 48 states and 68 countries are contributing to the rich diversity of our campus. Along with more than 500 members of our teaching community at TC, including 14 new full-time faculty and lecturers, all are devoted to areas of research and scholarship that will have an impact for generations to come.

I’m proud to lead an institution that is focused on improving the greater good. Whether preparing teachers for PreK-12 classrooms, reimagining what those classrooms look like, tending to our mental and physical health, building organizational strength across a range of sectors, or engaging in art, play, and artificial intelligence as tools for learning, you ensure that we are constantly looking at things from a new perspective. You are imagining a better future. 

This is the work of Teachers College — be it as a student, member of our faculty or staff. Together, we build on the legacy that set the standard for education around the world. I am honored that you have chosen TC to pursue your goals and am eager to support you all.

As I shared recently in describing our Advancing Community Together initiative, my priority remains ensuring that our campus is inclusive, respectful and focused on learning and engagement — so that you can focus on what you came here to do. I take this responsibility very seriously, as do all the members of my cabinet. 

I look forward to seeing you in our halls over the months to come, and wish for all of you a productive and successful year ahead.

Warm regards,

Thomas Bailey
President
Teachers College, Columbia University