MESAAS Administration
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Alison Vacca
418 Knox Hall
Tel: (212) 854-4730
Email: av3096@columbia.edu
Administrative Staff
Director of Academic Administration and Finance
Jessica Rechtschaffer
401A Knox Hall
212-854-6512
jr650@columbia.edu
Areas of Responsibility
- Manages all student affairs inquiries for both enrolled students in the BA/MA/PhD program and prospective students for the MA and PhD program.
- Provides administrative guidance regarding departmental and GSAS procedures for graduate and undergraduate students. Processes graduate student applications for the MA, MPhil, Prospectus and PhD defenses and provides administrative guidance on student affairs.
- Visa processing for all faculty and visiting scholars
- Grant setup and compliance
- Supervises the office staff
- Oversees newsletter publication
Business Manager
Christine Adapon
401 Knox Hall
212-853-7043
Areas of Responsibility
- Manages payroll transactions for faculty, student officer appointments and casual employees
- Approves all purchases and concur reimbursements
- Provides monthly reports for faculty grants and research accounts
- Troubleshoots all business transactions
Financial Assistant
Jason Land
401 Knox Hall
212-854-2560
Areas of Responsibility
- Initial point of contact for processing honoraria and reimbursement for visits
- Concur delegate for faculty
- Ordering supplies and equipment for office and faculty
- Work study coordinator
- Website updating – Faculty News, Student profiles, MESAAS newsletter updates
Administrative Assistant
Charles Jester
401 Knox Hall
212-853-7042
cpj2104@columbia.edu
Areas of Responsibility
- Initiates course submission process
- MESAAS Event and Meeting Coordinator
- Classroom Management
- Communications: Event publicity, course advertising on website
- Prospectus Defense and PhD Oral Exam scheduling