CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Less than six months after hundreds of Columbia College faculty members walked off the job, school President Kwang-Wu Kim has announced his resignation.
Columbia College informed students of Kim’s decision in a letter sent Wednesday. The president and CEO will step down effective July 1.
Kim has led the college since 2013, and administrators called him a “steady and exemplary leader.” The last few months of 2023, though, were marred by a historic strike over increased class sizes, cuts to courses and other measures aimed at closing a $20 million budget hole.
“Since my arrival in 2013, Columbia has been my truest home and a constant source of inspiration and growth,” Kim said in the letter to students. “While the prospect of leaving is bittersweet, as a life-long traveler I am looking forward to my next journey, and I am encouraged to know that the college is in such capable hands.”
The Chicago Tribune reported that Kim recently informed faculty that the college will soon be looking to whether full-time staff — with tenure — will be laid off.
Earlier in February, Columbia College officials said the board asked Kim and his team to come up with a plan to “align program offerings and streamline degree requirements.”
Columbia College CFO and Senior Vice President Jerry Tarrer will serve as the interim president and CEO starting July 2.
A search for the school’s next president is underway.
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