Dear GSAPP Community,

I am very honored to accept President Bollinger’s appointment as the next Dean of Columbia GSAPP. I am happy to build on the extraordinary legacy of Dean Amale Andraos – who coupled an inspiring vision for the School with the determination to render it a space of broader representation – and of Interim Dean Weiping Wu, who has guided the School through this transition with transparency and genuine collegiality. The exceptional leadership of my predecessors, the profound and generous engagement of the faculty and researchers, the sensitive commitment of our students, and the devoted dedication of the School’s administration has put GSAPP in a strong position to face the future with ambition, confidence, and inventiveness.

The world is going through crucial environmental, social, and technological changes. They manifest in the way bodies, space, ecologies, politics, and aesthetics intersect. These intersections are the terrain in which our fields operate, and this is why our contributions are so momentous now. GSAPP has always been at the forefront of leading change in our disciplines; this critical change is both radically experimental and politically engaged. This is what our School excels at and stands for, and what we all work together to intensify.

Becoming your Dean and having the opportunity to lead this extraordinary School is an exciting endeavor, and I look forward to working with all of you throughout the months and years ahead. On Wednesday, September 7 at 1pm we will celebrate an all-school outdoor gathering and lunch, at Avery & Schermerhorn Plazas. For the first time in many years, we will be able to convene our entire community – students, faculty, researchers, and administration – to jointly launch the Fall semester and this new moment for the School.

Until then, I hope that you are enjoying the final weeks of the summer and look forward to seeing everyone very soon!

Andrés Jaque
Dean