Dean of Studies

The Office of the Dean of Studies is committed to supporting the academic planning and success, academic integrity, and well-being of all students and to supporting the teaching efforts of faculty members. To those ends, the members of the Office are easily accessible to students and work closely and collegially with all offices that report to the Dean of the College and with faculty members—as teachers and academic advisers. In addition, members of the Office work often with parents and with counterpart offices within Columbia University.

Office of the Dean of Studies
Partnership Agreement

We in the Office pledge to:

We expect students to:

Provide information and advice to students, so that they will be able to consider a full range of academic opportunities, and thus make informed and increasingly mature and independent decisions about their academic lives and personal goals;
Provide training and information to, and serve as general resources for, academic advisers, so that they will be able to help students in the ways described above;
Work with faculty, administrative, and staff colleagues to facilitate effective means for upholding College academic standards and procedures that are fair to the student body at large and that permit individual exceptions in the face of compelling reasons;
Be accessible to students, faculty, and staff members, in person, and by e-mail and telephone.

Be familiar with the information available in print and online that explains course enrollment procedures, curriculum requirements, academic policies, and deadlines;
Use this information, along with other advising resources and services, in timely and thoughtful fashion, as a means of taking responsibility for shaping their college education;
Understand that while individualism is valued, the College is a voluntary community with common principles and standards that define it and that must be maintained except in the face of compelling circumstances; learn those principles and standards; understand that there are official consequences to behaviors that do not meet the College’s principles and standards.
Be accessible, as appropriate, in person and by telephone and e-mail.

As Barnard students and deans work to meet the goals and expectations described in this agreement, the result should be a rigorous and rewarding education for students, in a supportive environment that encourages them to take on intellectual challenges, explore new academic opportunities, and accept responsibility for the choices they make. The deans and all other staff members in the Office of the Dean of Studies very much look forward to a dynamic partnership with students as we pursue those objectives together.