In April, we reported that rumors both on campus and in print were suggesting that Professor Joseph Massad would soon be granted tenure. Now, everyone's favorite tabloid/monitor-of-all-Columbia-controversies, the New York Post, reports (via HuffPo) that Massad has been granted tenure. In an article neutrally-entitled "Columbia Tenures An Israel Basher," columnist Jacob Gershman writes that Columbia "officially -- if quietly -- awarded Massad tenure earlier this month."

Gershman then runs through the many controversies that Massad has been involved in in his time in Morningside, before adding two new plot points. First, he calls Dean of Arts and Sciences Nicholas Dirks a "key ally" for Massad in getting an uncommon--though not unheard of--second tenure review. Second, Gershman alleges that "President Lee Bollinger and Provost Alan Brinkley took extraordinary measures to protect the secrecy of Massad's tenure case and guard against an outcry from Jewish alumni and donors," including shielding the names of tenure committee members from the Board of Trustees.

University spokesman Robert Hornsby did not comment to Bwog, citing the "longstanding policy" of no comment on tenure cases. While no complaints at the faculty level have made their way back to Bwog's ears (yet), several MEALAC students told Bwog in April that, contrary to Massad's first tenure review, far fewer details were leaking about the tenure process, and there appear to be fewer leaks to the media as well. Whatever makes the faculty happy.

- JCD

PrezBo has decided to close the academic year with a less-than-cheery missive about the University's budget. Not surprisingly, the numbers have declined more since January: "For the first nine months of the University’s fiscal year ending on March 31, 2009, the value of the endowment declined nearly 22%, with private investments and real assets valued on the normal one quarter lag as of December 31." But, PrezBo claims, "while hardly good news, my sense is that this constitutes strong relative performance both compared to benchmark averages in the financial markets and university endowments nationally."

As for cost-cutting measures, "meaningful expense reductions have been set in place. Additionally, many salaries across the University will be held constant." Additionally, as already announced in January, new hires will be "reviewed" across the university (read: will be significantly less likely), and no new "capital projects" will be started.

And it looks as if creditors are satisfied so far: "last week both Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s reaffirmed their highest credit rating, Aaa and AAA respectively, for Columbia’s debt." Other revenue streams continue to remain strong, including tuition. Then again, Bwog suspects tuition will continue keeping you poor, but at least no one's going to be repossessing your room during finals. Full email after the jump.

A roving gang of mustachioed bandits invaded campus yesterday. Before they were chased off by the NYPD Special Trimming Squad, though, they got a very special photo op.

Salvador Dalí would be so proud.

Today, a group of faculty members sent a letter with 120 professor signatures regarding PrezBo's "silence regarding academic freedom in Palestine." While the last Israel/Palestine student rally may not have exactly been of 1968-proportions (ah, but what is these days), the faculty list has many well-known professors, including Lila Abu-Lughod, Gil Anidjar, Richard Bulliet, Yinon Cohen, Victoria de Grazia, Rashid Khalidi, Philip Kitcher, Mark Mazower, Bruce Robbins, Gayatri Spivak, and Michael Taussig.

Several campus groups, including Students for a Democratic Society, have also been forwarding the email to several political and activist groups on campus with the hope that they can accumulate a "sizable list of student signatures" to add to their 107-person-and-growing Student, Alumni and Community Support list. The student list will not, however, be presented to Bollinger.

The full letter and faculty list can be found after the jump. UPDATE: Our post originally reported that the letter had been made public by SDS. In fact, according to SDS members, the letter was created by "faculty have passed it on to students, who have forwarded it around." (Photo by LPM)

Bwog's David Berke ventured into the PrezBo abode for the latest fireside chat.

President Bollinger hosted another fireside (though there is no fireplace) chat this evening, bringing undergraduates to his mansion for an hour-long discussion of campus concerns.

The catered event, with ornate hors d'oeuvres and apple cider poured from stylish silver dispensers by black-tied staff, showed no signs of budgetary cutbacks. After fifteen minutes of hobnobbing in the wood-paneled parlor, students were ushered to their seats.

Bollinger stood in a confident contrapposto pose, a hand on his hip. He kicked off the evening with a sweeping statement about the state of the world.

"It's an interesting time," he began. "In one sense, there's a profound crisis...on the other hand, there's a new wonderful administration bringing hope." More after the jump.

As you may or may not know, our
Fearless Leader recently spent some time at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and while he was there, he said several clever things to his fellow delegates. The Financial Times Blog found his comments punchy enough to post. Some of PrezBo's sagacity:

"All of the discussions over the last several years of an assumed "decoupling" of the rest of the world from the US economy today sound about as quaint as the purring of praise for unmediated free markets. We are in a global recession, and we are all inter-connected in ways that we barely understand or can imagine. Clearly, we need to know much, much more than we do about what is happening in the world, so that we can better act to avert dangers and build successfully on what has been achieved. That is the basic role of journalism and the press."

After PrezBo's announcement about the state of the endowment, Bwog decided to see how Columbia's finances are doing relative to other Ivies. The results offer great opportunities for schadenfreude since Columbia's predicted loss may be the lowest in the League.

As posted last night, Columbia has far out-performed Harvard and Yale, which lost 22 percent and 25 percent respectively, as well as Princeton, which also has an expected loss of 25 percent. Worse off is Cornell with a whopping 27 percent loss that is leading to major budget cuts and tuition increases.

UPenn has only reported for the 2008 fiscal year, which ended last June. Their loss up until June was 6.1 percent, the largest drop among the nation's top twenty university endowments for that fiscal year. Its current numbers are unknown. See more losses after the jump.

Another month, another depressing e-mail about the state of Columbia finances: earlier this evening, President Bollinger sent an email to the Columbia community (which may or may not have reached your inbox at this point) about the state of the endowment, and this time he included actual figures! After spending a paragraph on why "Columbia has maintained its impressive momentum as one of the world's great research universities," PrezBo announced that "during the six-month period ending December 31st, the total return of the University's investment portfolio declined by approximately 15%."

The decline, while still significant, is not as bad as it could have been. Last month, Barnard announced a six-month decline (of the entire endowment, as opposed to its investments portfolio) of around 25%, while Harvard and Yale lost 22% and 25% on their investments, respectively, through the end of October (at that point, according to Bollinger's email, Columbia's own decline was only 11.8%).

Bollinger closes the dispatch with a summary of the budget cuts ahead. "Although certain parts of the University (such as the central administration) are significantly dependent on endowment for operating revenue..." he writes, "the University as a whole counts on its endowment for only 13% of operating budget." Even though this number is lower than Columbia's peers, Bollinger says, "to facilitate a smooth transition to these new financial realities, we are asking all budget units to model an 8% decline in endowment funds available for operations next year." Bwog would like to suggest a 100% cut in the War on Fun. Full email after the jump.

While the site was broken for much of yesterday (Bwoga maxima culpa!), many of you had emailed a link to Lee C. Bollinger's Twitter page.

Now, you can follow the minute-by-minute goings on of "President Bollinger" with this Twitter thing. Just yesterday he asked if "ne1" wanted to go to HamDel with him. We bet you would have wanted to, hm? Never miss another PrezBo epiphany or outing again.

Entrenched in finals, begging for mercy. Outside the reading rooms, the real world keeps working.

Sex
Starting with the good stuff: CollegeOTR may have been correct in saying Columbians are "oversexed": A Columbia sex ed professor (oh yes, we have those) is worried about the rise of what a popular television show termed "What What in the Butt" among teens. Yikes. But another Columbia professor has shown that using protection is actually sexy. Alice! is pleased, since hookups are totally replacing dates.

Conflict
The best way to communicate with extremists is to do it in their own language. And hope that they read what you give them. Unfortunately, some of them will still hate PrezBo.

The Internet
Columbians in charge of the Pulitzer in journalism have decided that the Internet is real. And an exciting proposition: the music industry is considering blanket licensing for universities, and Columbia witnessed the presentation.

Thirteen Alert!
Two of the winners of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology have applied early decision to Columbia, but Bwog can't ascertain whether they got in. One has a perfect GPA, a perfect SAT score, and seven AP classes under her belt. Under the gaze of Alma Mater, however, everyone slides down the totem pole a little bit.

Let's be honest, Columbia: most of you voted for Barack Obama, and many of you would like to see the swearing in of Columbia's first graduate to reach the Oval Office. Sadly, though, the first day of classes falls on the same day (January 20) as the inauguration, leaving you to wonder "why not give us the day - or at least the morning - off?"

The Columbia administration rejects your pathetic attempts at logic. Instead, according to an official PrezBo communiqué, they've decided to use the go-to method for all important university events: "a 'Jumbo Tron' screen will show the inauguration live on Low Library Plaza beginning at approximately 11:00 a.m." The screening will take place "unless there are extremely severe conditions," and hot chocolate and warm cider will be there to keep you (luke)warm.

Of course, this entire post is predicated on the belief that PrezBo's e-mail scribe meant to write "JumboTron," not a gigantic 1982 movie (although it would be interesting to watch the inauguration parade as one big lightbike race). Full e-mail after the jump.

PrezBo had already "conceded that the endowment was down" at his last fireside chat, but now Bwog has some information on the scale of the damage:

At the University Senate's monthly plenary on Friday, PrezBo told the Senate that, over the fiscal year, Columbia's endowment has lost "about the same" percentage as Harvard's, which lost 22% of its value in the first four months of the new fiscal year.

He declined to give more specific figures at the public plenary, but Bwog has been told that the number may be a little less than Harvard's -- somewhere around 20%. More specific figures should be coming in the near future. Regardless, the loss marks a steep fall from last fiscal year's 2% rise

Bwog's received reports that PrezBo was assaulted in Central Park earlier today while jogging. He wasn't seriously injured, as he still participated in tonight's Fireside Chat (coverage of which we'll have in just a moment).

Media Director Robert Hornsby did not respond to an email about the incident.

The Fireside Chat, a chance to sort of meet and sort of greet President Bollinger, is offered every semester to the entire undergraduate student body. Only about 30 students are (randomly, with control of the number of students representing each school) selected to attend this quasi-intimate two-hour session in the presidential mansion, at 60 Morningside Drive, which stands like an elegant footman in the behemoth shadow of Wien.

Indoors, an eager staff of security guards, caterers, and public relations types milled among high-rolling undergraduates in collared shirts and high-heeled shoes, who snacked on chocolate-covered strawberries, fingerling potatoes, and a rather sickly-tinged hot cider.

CCSC President George Krebs strolled in a few minutes after six, gabbing with Kevin Shollenberger, the Dean of Student Affairs for CC and SEAS. He then swiftly wrapped an arm around Scott Wright, the Vice President for Student and Administrative Services. Natassia Miller, CC'12, admitting she had signed up for the chat just to meet PrezBo, saw the event as an optimal networking opportunity. "Columbia is a great place to connect with as many people as possible," she explained.

A tipster has just forwarded the following PrezBo Communique to Bwog, in which your President assures recipients that despite the terrifyingly awful economy—PrezBo refers to it as "a landscape largely defined by uncertainty," but a crisis by any other name...—Columbia will be just fine, thank you.

For one thing, the University is still ahead of schedule Capital Campaign-wise, with over $3 billion in the bank. Still, expect the grant enviornment to "deteriorate further."

Regarding financial aid, PrezBo writes: "Let me also make clear that we will not permit the economic downturn to affect Columbia's long-standing commitment to need-blind admissions and the meeting of full financial need in student aid for undergraduates in the College and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. We will also work to sustain, and when possible enhance, current levels of financial aid in other schools and programs."

Full email after the jump.