Collaborations and Committees

The Office of Work/Life convenes this interdisciplinary, multi-departmental working group to address the prevention and treatment of injury/illness associated with (fixed) computer workstation ergonomics. Participating University departments include: Human Resources; CUIT; Disability Services; Columbia Health; Environmental Health & Safety; Manhattanville Development Group; Facilities & Operations; Facilities Management and Campus Services; CUIMC, Planning & Capital Project Management; Facilities, & Operations; Office of Procurement; and Physical Therapy; College of Physicians & Surgeons.

The Office of Work/Life convenes this committee of Columbia’s leading nutrition academic experts to provide strategic direction on the development and evaluation of nutrition and weight control programs and initiatives for the Columbia community. Work of this committee includes the development of the Recommended Columbia Food and Beverage Standard. Participating schools and departments include: Institute of Human Nutrition, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, Teacher’s College, Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research Clinical Research Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Medical Weight Control Center, Medicine (Endocrinology), College of Physicians and Surgeons, College of Dental Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Obesity Prevention Initiative, and Health Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health.

The Office of Work/Life established this working group to devise the sustainability related recommendations of the Recommended Columbia Food and Beverage Standard and work collectively towards operationalizing the Standard at the University. Participating departments include: Campus Services (Columbia Dining, Columbia Health, Contract Services, Environmental Stewardship, Event Management), Facilities Management and Campus Services, CUIMC (Center for Student Wellness, CUMC Faculty Club), College of Physicians and Surgeons, (Institute of Human Nutrition &Medical Weight Control Center), and United Healthcare/Optum.

The Office of Work/Life established this committee  to create a forum for dialogue, receive feedback and suggestions for current initiatives, and to develop a wellness vision and road-map for the University.    The Wellness Advisory Committee is comprised of senior level administrators and academics with areas of expertise and/or responsibilities in health and wellness at the University. Participating schools and departments: Columbia Health: Human Resources: Benefits Strategy and Administration, Healthcare Benefits, Total Compensation, and Learning and Development; Environmental Health and Safety; Institute of Human Nutrition; College of Physicians and Surgeons; Teachers College; Architecture; Planning and Preservation; Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research Clinical Research Center; School of Nursing; Mailman School of Public Health; CUMC IT; Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion; Mailman School of Public Health; Environmental Stewardship; Columbia Physical Education Programs; Columbia Aging Center.

In 2008, the Office of Work/Life convened the Breastfeeding Advisory Committee, made up of Columbia faculty, to provide guidance and expertise to assist with the establishment of the Breastfeeding Support Program.

Comprising representatives from all of the Schools on the Morningside campus, the Faculty Quality of Life Committee addressed work/life issues and needs specific to Columbia faculty on the Morningside campus.  This committee ended in fall 2016.

The Committee’s mission was defined in 2009 to further the improvement of the quality of life of faculty by:

• Identifying quality of life issues.
• Recommending policies, programs, services and benefits to address quality of life issues.
• Providing input on current initiatives to ensure faculty needs are met.
• Evaluating current and future quality of life programs and initiatives.

The Committee has worked on faculty retirement, child care grants, safety on campus, challenges faced by faculty members with disabilities, K – 12 tuition benefits, and more. 
 

In conjunction with Environmental Stewardship, the Transportation Committee was active in the 2010-2011 academic year and was founded in order to discuss ways in which the University can improve the environment and support wellness/health and family care giving needs through transportation and commuting alternatives. 
 

In Fall 2010 The Office of Work/Life invited academics at Columbia, Barnard and Teachers College involved in research and teaching related to work/family/life to attend meetings for the purpose of identifying potential collaborations with each other and with the Office of Work/Life. After the first year of meetings, the agenda of the meetings were planned with the participation of Carol Hoffman, then serving as Associate Provost and Director of Work/Life and two members of the group, Jane Waldfogel, Compton Foundation Centennial Professor for the Prevention of Children's Youth Problems, School of Social Work, and Wendy Chavkin, Special Lecturer in Population and Family Health, School of Public Health. From 2012-2016, the group took the form of a University Seminar which examined current demographic trends and their implications for working families in order to identify knowledge gaps and opportunities for research collaborations at Columbia.
Past speakers included:

• Ruth Milkman, Professor of Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center
• Netsy Firestein, founding director of the Labor Project for Working Families
• Ellen Bravo, director of Family Values at Work Consortium, Gale A. Brewer, NYC Council Member, Sharon Lerner, journalist, Rebecca Symes, representative of U.S. Senator K. Gillebrand.