Information Requests and Proposal Submissions

The Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing (ACSRI) is a voluntary committee comprised of twelve voting members drawn in equal proportion from students, faculty, and alumni of the University, to ensure that the Committee is broadly representative of the university community. Two University officers sit as non-voting members in addition to the twelve voting members.

The ACSRI is also made of up subcommittees that can change from year to year based on topics relevant to its work.

There are two key advisory roles which the ACSRI performs, in accordance with its charter:

1. to recommend a vote on shareholder proxies for directly held publicly traded equities; and,
2. to consider options for shareholder engagement or divestment when issues in the realm of social responsibility prompt questions or concerns from members of the Columbia community with regard to the University's holdings.
    

There are three basic tests or criteria that must be met before divestment can be recommended. These include:

1. There must be broad consensus within the University community regarding the issue at hand;
2. The merits of the dispute must lie clearly on one side;
3. Divestment must be more viable and appropriate than ongoing communication and engagement with company management.
    

To best facilitate the proposal review process, the ACSRI created guidelines and a general schedule. During the 2025 – 2026 academic year, a Proposal Submission Review Guidelines subcommittee was established and tasked with updating the guidelines to address questions the ACSRI has received regarding the review process. The ACSRI approved the Subcommittee’s recommendations at the conclusion of the academic year.  

Please read carefully and follow the steps below:

The ACSRI will consider proposals authored and submitted by the following constituents and groups from the Columbia University community - full-time students, full-time faculty, and alumni, excluding affiliate schools with separate endowments (Barnard College, Union Theological Seminary, Jewish Theological Seminary, and Teachers College).