Columbia University is not a public school, although tax dollars find their way into the school by way of Federal grants, tuition aid, etc. As a Columbia graduate school graduate of many years ago, it is sad to see what has happened to a great university. This process started well before the rise of Lee Bollinger to the presidency. However, Bollinger seems to be leading the charge. But what can one expect from an administrator coming out of the University of Mich? As I recall, he was head of the law school there, and is well-remembered for cramming affirmative action down the throats of qualified law school applicants, thus resulting in a significant court case.
The solution for Columbia grads is simple. I decided back in the 80s, when alumni contributions to one school were being diverted to other schools with "social" programs, to stop all annual contributions. Funds formerly donated to Columbia are now sent elsewhere.
Since Columbia University has an endowment of something like $4.3 billion (the seventh largest university endowment in the country), I think it's going to be a really, really long time before any money you withhold from them makes any difference at all.
What's going on in a tiny department, with virtually no students, doesn't have a whole lot to do with the excellent education that students receive in Columbia's well-regarded schools of medicine, journalism, law, and business. Prospective students who can gain admission to Columbia (or any other Ivy League school for that matter) should think long and hard before deciding to go elsewhere simply because they don't like a couple of profs in the Middle Eastern Studies Department or African American Studies or Women's Studies.
With grants, loans, this program, that program, etc., are there any private schools left in this country? At any level of education?