it’s the perfect bubble for her:)
Why not Barnard?
From the article it looks like she is interested either in teaching grad students (SIPA or Columbia law) or else accepting a non-teaching role (“One option under discussion is an esteemed ‘University Professor’ role that would allow Clinton to lecture across a range of schools and departments without the requirement of a strict course load”). So while I’m sure that Barnard would love to have her, it looks like she doesn’t want to take on the responsibilities or time commitment involve in teaching an undergraduate courseload.
I suspect she’s mostly angling for free office space like the deal Biden did at Penn. The Penn student paper editors were somewhat miffed that Biden would teach no courses and get a costly office – in Washington. Even so, it’s a good deal for Penn if he effectively helps fundraise. So HRC to Columbia could be beneficial for them even if she won’t teach. But she might just use school resources to raise money for her own foundation.
This would be really cool for Columbia. If it’s anything like what Biden does at Penn, then Columbians are in for a treat. Since Biden joined Penn in March he’s already been part of two on-campus events in which he spoke for about an hour and a half to any members of the Penn community who could nab a seat in the auditorium; one with the President of Penn and one with the former President of Mexico. They also filmed the conversations and made them available to the public. If Clinton is equally active, and her participation in Columbia’s campus is equally accessible to all Columbia students, it could make for some really awesome experiences. Or she could take the John Kerry route at Yale where he does do a little teaching or Gov. Ed Rendell at Penn who teaches an actual class. I doubt she’ll go the David Axelrod-UChicago route due to time and probably lack of interest. Plus she’s more of a main event than a facilitator.