Columbia College Chicago President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim will be stepping down from his post days after he told the Faculty Senate in an announcement that the college will soon start a process to assess its financial situation, which could determine whether full-time faculty members with tenure will be laid off. The news also came on the heels of a fall semester significantly affected by a historic seven-week strike by part-time faculty members.
The college announced Kim’s departure Wednesday in an email to students, saying that Kim, who has served as president since 2013, informed the Board of Trustees of his decision to step down. The email did not offer a reason for his resignation.
“President Kim has been a steady and exemplary leader of Columbia for more than a decade. The Board of Trustees is incredibly grateful for his service to our institution,” said Board Chair John Holmes in the statement.
In an email, Columbia College’s senior director of external communications, Jacqueline Partridge, said an effort is underway to reposition the college as a more sought-after destination for students and families.
“The trustees aim to have administrators, faculty, and staff collaborate on plans to find efficiencies by rethinking organizational structures and increasing the college’s value proposition by letting students dive deeper into their chosen fields and explore more fully other creative disciplines,” Partridge said.
The Columbia College Board of Trustees also voted to increase tuition in the fall of 2024.
The college was already experiencing significant financial challenges when it was met with Columbia College Faculty Union’s 49-day strike, which was believed to be the longest in higher-education history. In a statement, the college said the strike cost the institution $13 million.
The walkout kept nearly 600 part-time faculty members out of their classrooms for nearly two months while department chairs and some full-time faculty members took over those classes. Some classes were at a standstill without an instructor until the semester ended Saturday, and some had shifted to an asynchronous model.
Prior to the strike, department chairs at Columbia were told to eliminate five to six courses for each of the 58 academic programs, a few weeks before the fall semester began.
A contract between Columbia and the union was ratified Dec. 21, following dozens of rounds of negotiations.
On Feb. 8, the board asked President Kim and his leadership team to develop a plan to better align program offerings and streamline degree requirements so students can commit to furthering their chosen creative fields. According to the announcement, Kim will share with the campus a draft report containing recommendations on Feb. 28.
Kim’s term ends July 1. Jerry Tarrer, senior vice president of business affairs, will assume duties as interim president the next day while a search for a new president is underway.
