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.

Pros

The people I worked with were among the most talented colleagues I've had. I really enjoyed their competency and ability to deliver high quality deliverables and outcomes. I also loved being surrounded by ideas and opportunities to learn about new topics from the world's top experts. Working at a place like Columbia allows you to do high-profile work at a high level, which is exciting. Also, there were a broad array of benefits.

Cons

Higher education can be very political. Whom you are aligned with can matter more than how well you are able to contribute--this can lend itself to a tribal-like thinking that is demotivating and difficult to navigate. I found Columbia to be similar to other higher education institutions in this way. Also, when I worked there, some of the top leadership was against working remotely. Columbia is very decentralized, so how this played out depended on what unit or school you worked in and the type of work you did. For me, the inflexibility of some leaders on the topic was disappointing.

Pros

The name on ur resume helps get you to your next place.

Cons

Columbia does not fight to keep you.

Pros

1) Columbia was established before the U.S. was formed and with that comes a rich history, tradition, and pursuit of excellence. 2) Outstanding faculty and colleagues - seriously! 3) Great for researchers!

Cons

1) Bureaucracy & hierarchy rule here, period. What that means in real-time is committees of committees will need to consider, discuss, review, request additional information, approve or deny your committee's suggestion for improvement if your leader thinks it's worth exploring - seriously! 2) Low comp overall and general leadership mindset that "you're lucky to be affiliated with Columbia" which leaves staff feeling unappreciated.