Columbia University Reviews

Pros

I was fortunate to work with some talented colleagues. Additionally, my on-campus housing (I believe this is only for research staff) was quickly and easily arranged. Apartment maintenance was performed promptly. The IT department (CUIT) proved flexible and willing to solve our problems.

Cons

The bureaucracy is an unstoppable force; paper forms abound and forget about doing anything not covered by an existing policy or checklist. Department administrations appear stuck in the 1970s with staff that, on average, do little more than the bare minimum. Capable staff are hamstrung by arcane procedures. I fear this extends to the educational aspects of the University, which is compounded by a lack of willingness to change. My appointment was bungled no fewer than three times, leading to delays in pay and lapsed health insurance. At one point I was forced to purchase my own health insurance from the state exchange because of an administrator's error. Expense reimbursements sometimes took months to arrive. Procurement was an embarrassment. Several times during my tenure vendor accounts were left unpaid. Dozens of hours were wasted trying to follow up with our department's business office in attempts to rectify said situations. It took over a year for our group's charge account at Staples to be approved for use.