Death of Adjunct Faculty Member Arthur Helton

 

We've learned the sad news that Arthur Helton, an adjunct professor at Columbia who taught a seminar on refugee rights, was among those killed in the bombing of the UN building in Iraq. Arthur was an important figure in human rights, and an especially tireless and eloquent advocate for refugees. Arthur was well known to many of our colleagues involved with human rights. Shortly before his death, Arthur was working to bring new educational opportunities to Columbia students interested in human rights. This is a serious loss to Columbia, but much more importantly to all those who care about the rights of those most vulnerable in our world. Our deepest sympathies go out to Arthur's family and his colleagues in many endeavors.