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We are heartbroken to convey that Katrina Dock passed away on July 4. Katrina was the administrative assistant in the Department of Religion for ten years. More than this, she was, for so many of us, a friend, confidant, joking partner, and keen observer of life at Columbia. At her funeral on July 17, which was attended by faculty, fellow staff, current and former students, and the College dean, alongside her many friends and family from Long Island and New Jersey, we heard testimonies of her generosity, her humor, and her supportiveness.

Professor Townsend spoke to Columbia News about her journey to becoming a Professor and her interest in the field of Buddhism. Find the article here.

It is with great sadness that the Department of Religion marks the loss of Professor Robert A.F. Thurman, who died on June 16, at home, in Woodstock, New York. A world-renowned scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, dedicated teacher, and public intellectual, Bob was the inaugural Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia, a chair he held from 1988 until his retirement in 2019. The author of numerous books, and stalwart champion of the translation of the Tibetan Tengyur, Bob inspired generations of Columbia and Barnard students in and beyond the classroom.