Straws in the Wind - Part 307

From the Columbia Daily Spectator: Barnard will not host its annual financial aid fundraising gala this year, opting instead to focus its resources on a celebration for the fall 2026 opening of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Center and “smaller, more intimate” alumni gatherings. Alumni leaders who spoke to Spectator said that the college’s communication surrounding the gala’s cancellation, which Spectator learned about through two alumni leaders with knowledge of the matter, has highlighted a growing transparency problem between school leadership and alumni. The annual gala, which Barnard has held for over three decades, is the largest annual fundraising event hosted by the college. Last year, it brought in nearly $4 million.

Rona Wilk, BC ’91, told Spectator that Hillary Strong, vice president for advancement at Barnard, discussed the cancellation with the then-20-person board of directors of the Alumnae Association of Barnard College at a Feb. 3 board meeting. Barnard, however, has yet to notify the broader alumni community, though it did inform ticket purchasers for previous galas of this year’s cancellation on Dec. 9, 2025, according to a copy of the communication shared with Spectator. Wilk, who has been involved with alumni work at Barnard for 25 years, said that canceling the event “feels like a brushing aside” of Barnard’s commitment to financial aid.

The cancellation comes as Barnard has become increasingly reliant on student revenue to support its operations, with roughly three-quarters of its operating support coming from tuition and room and board, according to a financial summary sent to the Barnard community on Jan. 28...

Wilk was asked to step down weeks after having an “outburst” about her transparency concerns at [a] Feb. 3 meeting, she said. Hours after the meeting, which she had left early, she apologized in an email to the alumnae association board...

Full story at https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2026/04/01/amid-debt-crisis-barnard-quietly-cancels-annual-financial-aid-fundraising-gala/.