Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi are making their next career moves.

The former 60 Minutes correspondents, who exited the newsmagazine in May and June following CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’ takeover of the program, will now be taking their talents to Columbia Journalism School as the newly appointed Journalists in Residence for the 2026–27 academic year.

CJS announced the staffing news on Monday, Aug. 3, as part of the school’s “CJS2030: Democracy Initiative.” The appointment will have both Pelley, 69, and Alfonsi, 54, working directly with journalism students both together and separately through “lectures, workshops and special events,” per the school.

“This is a critical time for a free press,” Pelley said in a statement. “Columbia is leading the way in training the next generation of great journalists and I am honored to join Sharyn in that vital cause.”

“Joining Columbia University as a Journalist in Residence is an extraordinary privilege, especially at a time when deep, rigorous and fearless reporting has never been more vital,” Alfonsi shared. “I’m excited to work with the next generation of journalists who are eager to ask the tough questions that hold power accountable.”

Jelani Cobb, dean of Columbia Journalism School and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism, said in a statement that he was “excited and honored” to welcome the 60 Minutes vets to campus. “Their distinguished track records in investigative reporting highlight the amazing opportunity our students will have to learn from them, and we look forward to having Sharyn and Scott with us this year.”

Alfonsi’s time at 60 Minutes came to an end in May after CBS declined to renew her contract. On May 28, 60 Minutes parted ways with journalists Cecilia Vega and Alfonsi. At the time, Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski also fired executive producer Tanya Simon, replacing her with tech journalist Nick Bilton.  Alfonsi told The New York Times that the exits sent a “chilling message to the entire newsroom” and that she believed it was “a deliberate choice to penalize a journalist for refusing to sanitize accurate reporting.” Alfonsi had worked on 60 Minutes since 2015.

Five months prior, Weiss abruptly pulled Alfonsi’s planned 60 Minutes segment that focused on Venezuelan men who were deported by the Trump administration to a notorious El Salvador prison in December, sparking backlash. It later aired in January.

As for Pelley, who began his journalism career with CBS News in 1989, he was accused by Bilton of “ambush” and “misconduct” during a staff meeting in June before his firing. He later released a statement in which he accused the program’s news executives of prioritizing political bias and currying favor with President Donald Trump‘s administration. He claimed the newsmagazine “lost its DNA when our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause” in late May 2026, referring to his colleagues.

Last week, 60 Minutes confirmed that it had added four new faces to its roster: New York Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat, documentary filmmaker Sebastian Junger, former Vice News journalist Gianna Toboni and CBS News’ new senior global affairs correspondent Trevor Phillips. Norah O’Donnell was promoted to 60 Minutes correspondent, while vets Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim are also returning for the program’s 59th season, which kicks off on Sept. 13.