Meet University Life

Travis Vidic (he/him) is the Director of Events and Operations for University Life. He comes from Columbia University's Office of Religious Life, where he worked as both a student and staff member. He is an alum of Columbia’s School of General Studies, and a recent graduate from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences where he received an MA. There, he wrote his thesis under Dr. Farah Griffin on the ontology of riot, through Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem “Riot,” and scholars Sylvia Wynter, Antonio Gramsci, and Stuart Hall. He is currently studying performance, Black, and interdisciplinary studies with Fred Moten at NYU. Travis is also passionate about music (live), volunteering with Columbia's Justice in Education Program, and biking down the Hudson when the sun’s got things looking pink.

Stephanie Busch is the Associate Director for Student Life at University Life. She holds a B.A. in American Sign Language and an M.S. in Educational Administration in Student Affairs with a specialization in Academic and Career Advising from the University of Rochester. Before joining University Life, she worked at Columbia University School of Nursing supporting student life, admissions, and student services. Before Columbia, she worked at The School of the New York Times as a Student Life and Communications Specialist.

Stephanie hails from Long Island and loves the autumn season and her dogs. She's still exploring campus, and so far Stephanie’s favorite spot is College Walk. 

Richard Harrill (he/him) is the Executive Director of Community Impact. He earned his BA and JD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and led its Center for Social Justice and Social Innovation for more than a decade. Earlier in his career he served as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Hungary and launched an educational foundation in that country that was awarded the Echoing Green Fellowship for successfully introducing service-learning and social entrepreneurship in post-Communist Central Europe. Throughout his career Richard has been a consultant to foundations such as Ford, Open Society, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, helping them design civic engagement programming and policy infrastructure in Europe, the Balkans, Central Asia, and the Caucasus Region. For the past year, he served as Founding Director of Bard College’s Experiential Learning Lab (BELL), designing a platform for students from around the world to live, study, and explore careers pathways in the private, public and non-profit sectors in NYC. Richard returned to Columbia University this summer, where he previously was a youth policy researcher for the School of Social Work from 2001-2002.

Rana Khan (she/her) is the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs for University Life. Rana has a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in Psychology and Communications and she is a first-generation immigrant.

Prior to joining Columbia University, Rana was at the NYC Department of Education for over 17 years in various operational roles and supported the planning and implementation of several strategic initiatives, including all COVID crisis planning and response, for all 1,800+ NYC public schools.

Rana is a big nature and animal advocate. In her downtime, she loves to read, travel, and experience life with her friends. Rana is passionate about education and feels it is the real way to institute change in the world.

Prithak Chowdhury is the Director of Education & Training for University Life. Prithak is a first generation immigrant and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Stonehill College and a Master’s in Education with a concentration in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from the University of Vermont.

Prior to joining Columbia, Prithak led training & development at St. John’s University where he supported employee learning and engagement. He has also served in a variety of student facing and administrative roles in Georgia State University within Residence Life and Housing where he led strategic initiatives and programming around leadership development, civic engagement, and equity and inclusion for over 5000 residential students. Prithak is an equity conscious and human centered educator and strategist whp strongly believes in the role of education and the college experience in helping build a better world.

Prithak was born and raised in Agartala, India before he moved to the United States for his undergraduate studies. He has called many a new city his home  - from Boston, to Burlington, to Atlanta, and now New York. Prithak is a traveler, creative, and bookworm by heart, and in his free time when he is not flipping pages, you might find him either behind a camera, exploring the city with his two dogs, hiking, taking in art, or listening to vintage Bollywood music. 

Peter Donatich (he/him) is an Executive Assistant for University Life. Peter started his Columbia career in the Office of the President where he worked as Senior Administrative Coordinator for several years. Before Columbia, he worked at Oxford University Press and DC Comics. In addition to publishing, he worked in consulting and lobbying. Peter earned a B.A. in English from Amherst College, he has a fondness for karaoke and enjoys exploring New York City with his wife and friends.

Niko Crawford is the First Year Experience Coordinator at University Life. He has experience in student support roles at Columbia and New York University focused on connecting students to resources for well-being, sexual respect, and social justice. He is pursuing a Master's Degree at Teachers College in Politics and Education, centered on building democratic and anti-racist pedagogies.

Niko hails from the Bay Area, California, and is a current Brooklynite and lover of RnB and Filipino food. He loves to take in the views of the Amsterdam overpass bridge.

Nicolas Duran (he/him) is the Events & Operations Manager for University Life. He has worked previously as a staff member of Columbia’s Religious Life team and Residential Life team. He is an alum of Columbia College, where he studied Music. In addition to his role at University Life, he is the vocal quartet Tenor at the Church of St. Edward the Martyr where he serves on the Vestry, and he organizes the Open Mic at the Mobilization for Change Garden on Tuesday nights. Apart from his official roles, he loves to read, play piano, tend his garden plot, CitiBike, dance, and write poetry. He is planning on studying poetry at Columbia’s School of the Arts starting Fall of 2024.

Dr. Melanie Bernitz is the Senior Vice President for Columbia Health. She joined Columbia Health in 2016 and served as Associate Vice President and Medical Director through early 2021. Previously she served as the Executive Director of the Student Health Service at Columbia University Medical Center. Prior to that position, Dr. Bernitz was a resident, chief resident, and faculty member in Columbia’s Center for Family and Community Medicine. Growing up in the United Kingdom, she received both her bachelor’s degree in psychology and a degree in medicine at University College London. She then received her master’s degree in public health at Columbia University.

Dr. Bernitz's professional experience includes teaching and training of medical students and residents as well as inpatient and outpatient primary care. She is an associate professor of clinical medicine in the Center of Family and Community Medicine and remains committed to ensuring that college students have direct access to high-quality, timely medical care.

Education:

• MPH, Columbia University 
• MD, University College London
• BSc, University College London

Certifications and Licensure:

• Certified by the American Board of Family Medicine
• Licensed to practice medicine in the State of New York

Professional Experience:

• Associate Vice President and Medical Director, Columbia Health
• Executive Director, Student Health Service, Columbia University Medical Center
• Primary care physician, Student Health Service, Columbia University Medical Center
• Preceptor, Foundations of Clinical Medicine course, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons

Select Publications:

• Shelton, R., Goodwin, K., McNeil, M., Bernitz, M., Alexander, S., Parrish, C., Brotzman, L. Lee, M., Li, W., Makam, S., Ganek, N., Foskett, D., Warren, C., & Metsch, L. (2023). Application of The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to inform understanding of barriers and facilitators to the implementation of opioid and naloxone training on college campuses. Implementation Science Communications.
• Bernitz, M., McNeil, M., & Casani, J. (2021). Campus Management of Infectious Disease Outbreaks, in J. Vaughn & A. Viera (eds.), Principles and Practice of College Health. Springer.
• Narrative Medicine in Education and Practice. Behavioral Medicine: A Guide for Clinical Practice, Fourth Edition, edited by Drs. Mitchell D. Feldman and John F. Christensen. Burr Ridge, IL: McGraw-Hill.

Awards and Honors:

• Commendation for Excellence in Teaching Medical Students - Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
• Productivity Awards – New York Presbyterian Hospital Department of Medicine

Memberships:

• American College Health Association
• American Academy of Family Physicians

Lori Paulson (she/her) is the Strategic Initiatives Manager for University Life, working on communications strategy with the communications team and the Student Affairs Network. Lori's interest in web design and communications strategy stems back to the early internet days of Angelfire and Geocities, where she liked to build websites about her cats and favorite musicians (not much has changed). She's also passionate about viewing the student experience holistically and creating systems to support students from the ground up. Before joining University Life, she worked at the School of General Studies, where she earned her BA in Psychology. She is now pursuing an MA in Cognitive Science in Education at Teachers College, where she is excited to learn more about the connection between trauma, learning outcomes, and possible interventions.

Outside of work, Lori enjoys improv comedy and acting, meeting new cats on neighborhood walks, and exploring NYC.

Joseph Defraine Greenwell serves as Senior Vice President for Student Affairs in University Life. A leader and strategic partner in student affairs for more than 20 years, he has served at the University of California, Berkeley, San Francisco State, Stanford, Colgate, and Vanderbilt Universities. In his role at University Life, Joseph partners with Columbia's 17 schools, central student services and students, staff and faculty on a wide range of student affairs and campus climate topics. He focuses on wellness and mental well-being, equity and inclusion, and community citizenship in order to best support students at Columbia and beyond. 

Joseph received his Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University, where he also earned his Bachelor of Music and Master in Education degrees. He is passionate about the arts, plays piano, enjoys exercise and hiking, and is excited to collaborate with all members of the Columbia University community to continually enhance the student experience.

Jennifer Haastrup (she/her) is the Program Manager for Student Life, Inclusion & Belonging. Prior to joining University Life, Jennifer worked at Fordham University School of Law where she served as the Program Manager, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the three years. In that role she led anti-racism workshops for faculty, students and staff, managed pipeline programs, produced student-facing events and advised student organizations. Jennifer is also a licensed social worker in the state of New York. In her role at University Life, Jennifer oversees the Graduate Initiative for Inclusion & Engagement and the Social Justice Mini Grant program.

Rev. Dr. Ian Rottenberg directs Columbia’s Earl Hall Center for Religious Life. Dean Rottenberg has academic degrees in philosophy and theology from Haverford College, Yale University, and Fordham University. As a leader of faith communities, he is passionate about increasing multi-faith dialogue, promoting mutual understanding, and working to meet the diverse religious needs of our university community. 

He loves appreciating Columbia’s collection of outdoor sculptures and frequenting the many great coffee shops on and around campus.

Emma Winters (she/her) is the Content Strategist & Editorial Coordinator for University Life at Columbia. Prior to joining University Life, she managed communications for three years at the Center for Migration Studies of New York, a think tank and educational institute that studies international migration and promotes rights-respecting immigration policy. She began her career reporting Catholic news and working on audio, newsletters, and social media at America Media. Emma is a 2018 graduate of Boston College.

David Beltran (he/him) is the Social & Multimedia Specialist for University Life. He has a BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College and has spent the past few years in the non-profit and public education world where he loved sharing the stories of students and staff alike on social media. 

David was born and raised in Queens and is a big New York sports fan. You can often find him at Yankee Stadium or Citi Field catching a baseball game, but he's also looking forward to exploring his new home at Columbia University. 

Daniel Betancourt serves as the Assistant Director, Facilities, IT and Operations at University Life.

Daniel is a graduate of General Studies, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry. He joins University Life after working most recently as a production chemist, synthesizing radiotracer drugs for cancer imaging. Prior to obtaining his degree at General Studies, Daniel served proudly as a paramedic in NYC where he obtained his critical care certification and worked as a medical educator. He brings to University of Life years of technical expertise and operational insight. Outside of work, Daniel enjoys backcountry hiking, cheering for the Mets, and learning new skills.

Camilla Nelson (she/her) is the Administrative Coordinator for University Life. Camilla joins University Life with an event planning and operations background in the fashion and financial services industries. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Retail, Merchandising, and Product Development from Florida State University. Originally from Miami, FL, Camilla is a proud Brazilian-American who spends her free time performing in musicals, enjoying Central Park, and honing her volleyball skills. Her favorite place on campus is College Walk when the trees are decorated for the holiday season. 

Alexa Oord (she/they) is the Associate Director of Administration & Special Projects in University Life. They previously worked as the Administrative Assistant for Undergraduate Student Life in Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. Alexa holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Harvard University and an M.A. in Gender/Cultural Studies from Simmons University. She spends her free time listening to science-fiction audiobooks while working on her latest crochet, embroidery, or sewing project.