Classes were initially held in July 1754 and were presided over by the college's first president,Samuel Johnson who was an Anglican Priest.[64]: 8–10 [65]: 3 The college was officially founded on October 31, 1754, as King's College by royal charter ofGeorge II,[66][67] making it the oldest institution of higher learning in theState of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States.[11]
In 1763, Johnson was succeeded in the presidency byMyles Cooper, a graduate ofThe Queen's College, Oxford, and an ardentTory. In the charged political climate of theAmerican Revolution, his chief opponent in discussions at the college was an undergraduate of the class of 1777,Alexander Hamilton.[65]: 3 TheIrish anatomist,Samuel Clossy, was appointed professor of natural philosophy in October 1765 and later the college's first professor of anatomy in 1767.[68]
King's College Hall in 1790
TheAmerican Revolutionary War broke out in 1776, and was catastrophic for the operation of King's College, which suspended instruction for eight years beginning in 1776 with the arrival of theContinental Army. The suspension continued through the military occupation of New York City by British troops until theirdeparture in 1783. The college's library was looted and its sole building requisitioned for use as a military hospital first by American and then British forces.[69][70]
The 1797Taylor Map ofNew York City, showing "The Colledge [sic]" at its Park Place (then Robinson Street) location and its earlier location,Trinity Church, on the lower left
The legislature agreed to assist the college, and on May 1, 1784, it passed "an Act for granting certain privileges to the College heretofore called King's College".[64] The Act createda board of regents to oversee the resuscitation of King's College, and, in an effort to demonstrate its support for the new Republic, the legislature stipulated that "the College within the City of New York heretofore called King's College be forever hereafter called and known by the name ofColumbia College",[64] a reference toColumbia, an alternative name for America which in turn comes from the name ofChristopher Columbus. The Regents finally became aware of the college's defective constitution in February 1787 and appointed a revision committee, which was headed byJohn Jay and Alexander Hamilton. In April of that same year, a new charter was adopted for the college granted the power toa separate board of 24 trustees.[71]: 65–70
For a period in the 1790s, with New York City as the federal and state capital and the country under successiveFederalist governments, a revived Columbia thrived under the auspices of Federalists such as Hamilton and Jay. PresidentGeorge Washington and Vice PresidentJohn Adams, in addition to both houses ofCongress attendedthe college's commencement on May 6, 1789, as a tribute of honor to the many alumni of the school who had been involved in theAmerican Revolution.[64]: 74
In November 1813, the college agreed to incorporate its medical school with The College of Physicians and Surgeons, a new school created by the Regents of New York, formingColumbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.[71]: 53–60 In 1857, the college moved from the King's College campus at Park Place to a primarilyGothic Revival campus on 49th Street andMadison Avenue, where it remained for the next forty years.
During the last half of the 19th century, under the presidency ofFrederick A. P. Barnard, for whomBarnard College is named, the institution rapidly assumed the shape of a modern university. Barnard College was created in 1889 as a response to the university's refusal to accept women.[72]
In 1896, university presidentSeth Low moved the campus from 49th Street to its present location, a more spacious campus in the developing neighborhood ofMorningside Heights.[64][73] Under the leadership of Low's successor,Nicholas Murray Butler, who served for over four decades, Columbia rapidly became the nation's major institution for research, setting the multiversity model that later universities would adopt.[11] Prior to becoming the president of Columbia University, Butler foundedTeachers College, as a school to prepare home economists and manual art teachers for the children of the poor, with philanthropistGrace Hoadley Dodge.[62] Teachers College is currently affiliated as the university's Graduate School of Education.[11]
On March 8, 1917, as a result of America's entrance intoWorld War 1, Columbia president Nicholas Murray Butler formed the Columbia Reserve Officers Training Corps.[74] All students over the age of 18 who passed a physical exam were entered into this program. Within 4 months, over 1,400 students were enrolled within the program. They were one of 12 universities designated by the War department to create a naval section for the Student Army Training Corps. As part of this new program, the US Army charged Columbia to create a "War Issues" course. In 1919, a similar course was created for Columbia students, a "peace issues" course that evolved into "Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West", part of the university'score curriculum for undergraduate students.[75]
In 1928,Seth Low Junior College was established by Columbia University in order to mitigate the number of Jewish applicants to Columbia College.[62][77] The college was closed in 1936 due to the adverse effects of theGreat Depression and its students were subsequently taught at Morningside Heights, although they did not belong to any college but to the university at large.[78][79] There was an evening school called University Extension, which taught night classes, for a fee, to anyone willing to attend.
In 1947, the program was reorganized as an undergraduate college and designated theSchool of General Studies in response to the return ofGIs afterWorld War II.[80] In 1995, the School of General Studies was again reorganized as a full-fledged liberal arts college fornon-traditional students (those who have had an academic break of one year or more, or are pursuing dual-degrees) and was fully integrated into Columbia's traditional undergraduate curriculum.[81] The same year, the Division of Special Programs, later called the School of Continuing Education and now theSchool of Professional Studies, was established to reprise the former role of University Extension.[82] While the School of Professional Studies only offered non-degree programs for lifelong learners and high school students in its earliest stages, it now offers degree programs in a diverse range of professional and inter-disciplinary fields.[83]
In the aftermath of World War II, the discipline of international relations became a major scholarly focus of the university, and in response, theSchool of International and Public Affairs was founded in 1946, drawing upon the resources of the faculties of political science, economics, and history.[84] TheColumbia University Bicentennial was celebrated in 1954.[85]
During the 1960s, student activism reached a climax withprotests in the spring of 1968, when hundreds of students occupied buildings on campus. The incident forced the resignation of Columbia's president,Grayson Kirk, and the establishment of the University Senate.[86][87]
Though several schools in the university had admitted women for years, Columbia College first admitted women in the fall of 1983,[88] after a decade of failed negotiations withBarnard College, the all-female institution affiliated with the university, to merge the two schools.[89] Barnard College still remains affiliated with Columbia, and all Barnard graduates are issued diplomas signed by thepresidents of Columbia University and Barnard College.[90]
During the late 20th century, the university underwent significant academic, structural, and administrative changes as it developed into a major research university. For much of the 19th century, the university consisted of decentralized and separate faculties specializing in Political Science, Philosophy, and Pure Science. In 1979, these faculties were merged into theGraduate School of Arts and Sciences.[91] In 1991, the faculties of Columbia College, the School of General Studies, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, theSchool of the Arts, and theSchool of Professional Studies were merged into the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, leading to the academic integration and centralized governance of these schools.
21st century
Lee C. Bollinger became Columbia's 19th president in June 2002,[92] succeeding George Rupp.[93] He was appointed in October 2001 after arriving from the presidency of the University of Michigan.[94][95] His initiatives included the Manhattanville campus expansion into West Harlem, addressing space needs.[96] Bollinger launched the World Leaders Forum[97] and aimed to increase international student numbers.[97] He made a number of appointments to leadership roles includingJeffrey Sachs (Earth Institute),[98]Alan Brinkley (Provost),[97]Nicholas Lemann (Journalism), David Hirsh (Research),[99] andNicholas Dirks (Arts & Sciences).[100]
Bollinger was the defendant in the Supreme Court's 2003 affirmative action cases (Gratz andGrutter), resulting in a split decision.[94][97] He consistently defended free speech principles during campus controversies involving faculty and students.[97]
The university publicly launched a record $4 billion capital campaign in September 2006. Financial aid was improved, eliminating loans for undergraduates from families earning under $50,000, supported by a major gift from trusteeGerry Lenfest.[101]
Globalization efforts continued with the World Leaders Forum and the creation of the Committee on Global Thought, chaired byJoseph Stiglitz. Columbia faculty received multiple Nobel Prizes:Richard Axel andLinda Buck (Medicine, 2004),Edmund Phelps (Economics, 2006), andOrhan Pamuk (Literature, 2006).Václav Havel joined the faculty.
Controversy erupted over a planned 2006 invitation to Iranian President Ahmadinejad, which was ultimately canceled due to logistical and security issues. Later that year, a campus event featuring Minuteman Project speakers was disrupted by protesters. Bollinger strongly condemned the disruption, reaffirming free speech principles while stating protesters do not have the right to silence speakers. Several students faced disciplinary action, and non-affiliated individuals involved were banned from campus.[102]
The2008 financial crisis impacted Columbia's endowment, but less than peers as only 13% of the operating budget reliant on the endowment (compared to higher percentages at peers likeHarvard).[103] The endowment recovered, hitting $8.2B in Oct 2013. Despite the downturn, Columbia pressed on with Manhattanville construction, receiving final state approval in June 2009. Major gifts fueled progress, including $400M fromJohn Kluge upon his death, $50M from theVagelos family for the Medical Center, $100M fromHenry Kravis for the Business School, $30M from Gerry Lenfest for an Arts center, and $200M fromMortimer Zuckerman for the Mind, Brain, Behavior Institute.[104]
Following the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the University Senate voted 51–17 to inviteROTC back after a 40-year absence, and Bollinger announced an agreement with the Navy. Columbia expanded itsGlobal Centers network (Amman, Beijing, Mumbai, Paris, Nairobi, Istanbul, Santiago), aiming to increase global engagement and international student enrollment (11% in CC in 2011, targeted higher).[105]
From 2014 to 2021, Columbia University pursued significant physical expansion, notably opening major facilities on the Manhattanville campus (ZMBBI, Lenfest Center, The Forum). Key strategic initiatives launched included theKnight First Amendment Institute, Columbia World Projects, and the newColumbia Climate School (2020). A $5 billion university capital campaign was launched (with a $1.5B A&S target), major gifts like $50M for A&S's Uris Hall renovation were secured, and the endowment grew significantly ($14.35B by mid-2021).[106] The COVID-19 pandemic starting March 2020 prompted remote operations, hiring/salary freezes, budget cuts, substantial borrowing (~$700M cited), and unpopular retirement contribution cuts, intensifying financial pressures.
In February 2022, Columbia's mathematics professorMichael Thaddeus published a website and argued that data submitted by Columbia for U.S. News college rankings was "inaccurate, dubious or highly misleading".[107][108][109] In July 2022,U.S. News & World Report removed Columbia from its college rankings citing failed verification.[110] In September 2022, Columbia acknowledged the submission of incorrect data to U.S. News college rankings.[111] In June 2023, Columbia announced its non-participation in the rankings.[112] In July 2025, Columbia offered to pay US$9 million to settle a class-action lawsuit by its students inManhattan federal court over the alleged submission of false data to boost its U.S. News college rankings.[113][114]
NYPD cleaning the original encampment on the East Lawn, shortly after the arrests, April 18, 2024
Beginning in fall 2023,protests at Columbia University against theGaza war and what the student protesters described as Columbia's complicity in theGaza genocide,[115] including theGaza Solidarity Encampment (April 17–30, 2024), resulted in police action, student disciplinary measures, and the resignation of two university presidents:Minouche Shafik andKatrina Armstrong.[116] The federal government then launched aninvestigation into antisemitism and withdrew funding, prompting the university to adopt stricter campus policies.[117] In July 2025, Columbia finalized a $220 million settlement to resume federal funding, agreeing to adopt theIHRA definition of antisemitism, provide applicant data, and other policy changes while admitting no wrongdoing.[118]
Campus
Morningside Heights
College Walk
The majority of Columbia's graduate and undergraduate studies are conducted in theUpper Manhattan neighborhood ofMorningside Heights onSeth Low's late-19th century vision of a university campus where all disciplines could be taught at one location. The campus was designed alongBeaux-Arts planning principles by the architectsMcKim, Mead & White. Columbia's main campus occupies more than sixcity blocks, or 32 acres (13 ha), in Morningside Heights, New York City, a neighborhood that contains a number of academic institutions. The university owns over 7,800 apartments in Morningside Heights, housing faculty, graduate students, and staff. Almost two dozen undergraduate dormitories (purpose-built or converted) are located on campus or in Morningside Heights. Columbia University hasan extensive tunnel system, more than a century old, with the oldest portions predating the present campus. Some of these remain accessible to the public, while others have been cordoned off.[119]
Butler Library is the largest in theColumbia University Libraries system and one of the largest buildings on the campus. It was completed in 1934 and renamed to Butler Library in 1946.[120] As of 2020[update],Columbia's library system includes over 15.0 million volumes, making it the eighth largest library system and fifth largest collegiate library system in the United States.[121]
A statue by sculptorDaniel Chester French calledAlma Mater is centered on the front steps ofLow Memorial Library. The statue represents a personification of the traditional image of the university as analma mater, or "nourishing mother", draped in an academic gown and seated on a throne. She wears alaurel wreath on her head and holds in her right hand a scepter capped by a King's Crown, a traditional symbol of the university. A book, representing learning, rests on her lap. The arms of her throne end in lamps, representing "Sapientia et Doctrina", or "Wisdom and Learning"; on the back of the throne is embossed an image ofthe seal of the university.[129][130] The small hidden owl on the sculpture is also the subject of many Columbia legends, the main legend being that the first student in the freshmen class to find the hidden owl on the statue will be valedictorian, and that any subsequent Columbia male who finds it will marry a Barnard student, given that Barnard is awomen's college.[131][132]
"The Steps", alternatively known as "Low Steps" or the "Urban Beach", are a popular meeting area for Columbia students. The term refers to the long series of granite steps leading from the lower part of campus (South Field) to its upper terrace.[133]
In April 2007, the university purchased more than two-thirds of a 17 acres (6.9 ha) site for a new campus inManhattanville, an industrial neighborhood to the north of the Morningside Heights campus. Stretching from125th Street to133rd Street, Columbia Manhattanville houses buildings for Columbia's Business School, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia School of the Arts, and the Jerome L. Greene Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior, where research will occur on neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.[134][135] The $7 billion expansion plan included demolishing all buildings, except three that are historically significant (theStudebaker Building,Prentis Hall, and the Nash Building), eliminating the existing light industry and storage warehouses, and relocating tenants in 132 apartments. Replacing these buildings created 6.8 million square feet (630,000 m2) of space for the university. Community activist groups in West Harlem fought the expansion for reasons ranging from property protection and fair exchange for land, to residents' rights.[136][137] Subsequent public hearings drew neighborhood opposition. As of December 2008[update], the State of New York'sEmpire State Development Corporation approved use of eminent domain, which, through declaration of Manhattanville's "blighted" status, gives governmental bodies the right to appropriate private property for public use.[138] On May 20, 2009, theNew York State Public Authorities Control Board approved the Manhanttanville expansion plan.[139]
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is affiliated with the medical schools of both Columbia University andCornell University. According toU.S. News & World Report's "2020–21 Best Hospitals Honor Roll and Medical Specialties Rankings", it is ranked fourth overall and second among university hospitals.[140] Columbia'smedical school has a strategic partnership withNew York State Psychiatric Institute, and is affiliated with 19 other hospitals in the U.S. and four hospitals in other countries. Health-related schools are located at theColumbia University Medical Center, a 20-acre (8.1 ha) campus located in the neighborhood ofWashington Heights, fifty blocks uptown. Other teaching hospitals affiliated with Columbia through the NewYork-Presbyterian network include the Payne Whitney Clinic in Manhattan, and the Payne Whitney Westchester, a psychiatric institute located in White Plains, New York.[141] On the northern tip of Manhattan island (in the neighborhood ofInwood), Columbia owns the 26-acre (11 ha) Baker Field, which includes theLawrence A. Wien Stadium as well as facilities for field sports, outdoor track, and tennis. There is a third campus on the west bank of theHudson River, the 157-acre (64 ha)Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and Earth Institute inPalisades, New York. A fourth is the 60-acre (24 ha)Nevis Laboratories inIrvington, New York, for the study of particle and motion physics. A satellite site in Paris holds classes atReid Hall.[11]
Sustainability
In 2006, the university established the Office of Environmental Stewardship to initiate, coordinate and implement programs to reduce the university's environmental footprint. The U.S. Green Building Council selected the university's Manhattanville plan for theLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Neighborhood Design pilot program.[142][143]
[144] Columbia has been rated "B+" by the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card for its environmental and sustainability initiatives.[145]
Columbia Transportation is the bus service of the university, operated byAcademy Bus Lines. The buses are open to all Columbia faculty, students, Dodge Fitness Center members, and anyone else who holds a Columbia ID card. In addition, allTSC students can ride the buses.[147]
The main campus is primarily boxed off by the streets of Amsterdam Avenue,Broadway, 114th street, and 120th street, with some buildings, including Barnard College, located just outside the area. The nearest major highway is theHenry Hudson Parkway (NY 9A) to the west of the campus. It is located 3.4 miles (5.5 km) south of theGeorge Washington Bridge.
Columbia University received 60,551 applications for the class of 2025 (entering 2021) and a total of around 2,218 were admitted to the two schools for an overall acceptance rate of 3.66%.[150] Columbia is a racially diverse school, with approximately 52% of all students identifying themselves as persons of color. Additionally, 50% of all undergraduates received grants from Columbia. The average grant size awarded to these students is $46,516.[151] In 2015–2016, annual undergraduate tuition at Columbia was $50,526 with a total cost of attendance of $65,860 (including room and board).[152] The college isneed-blind for domestic applicants.[153]
On April 11, 2007, Columbia University announced a $400 million donation from media billionaire alumnusJohn Kluge to be used exclusively for undergraduate financial aid. The donation is among the largest single gifts to higher education.[154] However, this does not apply to international students, transfer students, visiting students, or students in the School of General Studies.[155] In the fall of 2010, admission to Columbia's undergraduate collegesColumbia College and theFu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (also known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering) began accepting theCommon Application. The policy change made Columbia one of the last major academic institutions and the lastIvy League university to switch to the Common Application.[156]
Scholarships are also given to undergraduate students by the admissions committee. Designations include John W. Kluge Scholars, John Jay Scholars, C. Prescott Davis Scholars, Global Scholars, Egleston Scholars, and Science Research Fellows. Named scholars are selected by the admission committee from first-year applicants. According to Columbia, the first four designated scholars "distinguish themselves for their remarkable academic and personal achievements, dynamism, intellectual curiosity, the originality and independence of their thinking, and the diversity that stems from their different cultures and their varied educational experiences".[157]
In 1919, Columbia established a student application process characterized byThe New York Times as "the first modern college application". The application required a photograph of the applicant, the maiden name of the applicant's mother, and the applicant's religious background.[158]
In 1754, the university's first charter was granted byKing George II; however, its modern charter was first enacted in 1787 and last amended in 1810 by the New York State Legislature.Columbia has four official undergraduate colleges:Columbia College, the liberal arts college offering the Bachelor of Arts degree; theFu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (also known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering), the engineering and applied science school offering the Bachelor of Science degree; theSchool of General Studies, the liberal arts college offering the Bachelor of Arts degree to non-traditional students undertaking full- or part-time study; andBarnard College.[161][162]Barnard College is a women's liberal arts college and an academic affiliate in which students receive a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University. Their degrees are signed by the presidents of Columbia University and Barnard College.[163][164] Barnard students are also eligible to cross-register classes that are available through the Barnard Catalogue and alumnae can join the Columbia Alumni Association.[165]
Joint degree programs are available throughUnion Theological Seminary, theJewish Theological Seminary of America,[166] and theJuilliard School.[167][168]Teachers College andBarnard College are official faculties of the university; both colleges' presidents are deans under the university governance structure.[169] The Columbia University Senate includes faculty and student representatives from Teachers College and Barnard College who serve two-year terms; all senators are accorded full voting privileges regarding matters impacting the entire university. Teachers College is an affiliated, financially independent graduate school with their own board of trustees.[170][171] Pursuant to an affiliation agreement, Columbia is given the authority to confer "degrees and diplomas" to the graduates of Teachers College. The degrees are signed by presidents of Teachers College and Columbia University in a manner analogous to the university's other graduate schools.[172][173][169] Columbia's General Studies school also has joint undergraduate programs available throughUniversity College London,[174]Sciences Po,[175]City University of Hong Kong,[176]Trinity College Dublin,[177] and theJuilliard School.[178]
Columbia isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[201] Columbia was the first North American site where theuranium atom was split. The College of Physicians and Surgeons played a central role in developing the modern understanding of neuroscience with the publication ofPrinciples of Neural Science, described by historian of science Katja Huenther as the "neuroscience 'bible' ".[202] The book was written by a team of Columbia researchers that included Nobel Prize winnerEric Kandel,James H. Schwartz, andThomas Jessell. Columbia was the birthplace ofFM radio and thelaser.[203] The firstbrain-computer interface capable of translating brain signals into speech was developed byneuroengineers at Columbia.[204][205][206] TheMPEG-2 algorithm of transmitting high quality audio and video over limited bandwidth was developed byDimitris Anastassiou, a Columbia professor of electrical engineering. BiologistMartin Chalfie was the first to introduce the use ofGreen Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in labeling cells in intact organisms.[207] Other inventions and products related to Columbia include Sequential Lateral Solidification (SLS) technology for making LCDs, System Management Arts (SMARTS),Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) (which is used for audio, video, chat, instant messaging and whiteboarding),pharmacopeia, Macromodel (software for computational chemistry), a new and better recipe for glass concrete, BlueLEDs, and Beamprop (used in photonics).[208]
Columbia scientists have been credited with about 175 new inventions in the health sciences each year.[208] More than 30 pharmaceutical products based on discoveries and inventions made at Columbia reached the market. These includeRemicade (for arthritis),Reopro (for blood clot complications),Xalatan (for glaucoma),Benefix,Latanoprost (a glaucoma treatment), shoulder prosthesis,homocysteine (testing for cardiovascular disease), andZolinza (for cancer therapy).[209] Columbia Technology Ventures (formerly Science and Technology Ventures), as of 2008[update], manages some 600 patents and more than 250 active license agreements.[209] Patent-related deals earned Columbia more than $230 million in the 2006 fiscal year, according to the university, more than any university in the world.[210] Columbia owns many unique research facilities, such as theColumbia Institute for Tele-Information dedicated totelecommunications and theGoddard Institute for Space Studies, which is anastronomicalobservatory affiliated withNASA.
Military and veteran enrollment
Columbia is a long-standing participant of theUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon Program, allowing eligible veterans to pursue a Columbia undergraduate degree regardless of socioeconomic status for over 70 years.[211] As a part of the Eisenhower Leader Development Program (ELDP) in partnership with theUnited States Military Academy atWest Point, Columbia is the only school in the Ivy League to offer a graduate degree program in organizational psychology to aid military officers in tactical decision making and strategic management.[212]
In 2020, Columbia University's student population was 31,455 (8,842 students in undergraduate programs and 22,613 in postgraduate programs), with 45% of the student population identifying themselves as a minority.[224] Twenty-six percent of students at Columbia have family incomes below $60,000. 16% of students at Columbia receive Federal Pell Grants,[225] which mostly go to students whose family incomes are below $40,000. Seventeen percent of students are the first member of their family to attend a four-year college.[226]
Columbia University is home to manyfraternities, sororities, and co-educational Greek organizations. Approximately 10–15% of undergraduate students are associated with Greek life.[228] Many Barnard women also join Columbia sororities. There has been a Greek presence on campus since the establishment in 1836 of the Delta chapter ofAlpha Delta Phi.[229][230]
TheColumbia Daily Spectator is the nation's second-oldest continuously operating daily student newspaper.[231]The Blue and White[232] is a monthly literary magazine established in 1890 that discusses campus life and local politics.Bwog,[233] originally an offshoot ofThe Blue and White but now fully independent, is an online campus news and entertainment source.The Morningside Post is a student-run multimedia news publication.
Political publications includeThe Current, a journal of politics, culture and Jewish Affairs;[234] theColumbia Political Review, the multi-partisan political magazine of the Columbia Political Union;[235] andAdHoc, which denotes itself as the "progressive" campus magazine and deals largely with local political issues and arts events.[236]
Columbia Magazine is the alumni magazine of Columbia, serving all 340,000+ of the university's alumni. Arts and literary publications includeThe Columbia Review, the nation's oldest college literary magazine;[237]Surgam, the literary magazine ofThe Philolexian Society;[238]Quarto, Columbia University's official undergraduate literary magazine;[239]4x4, a student-run alternative toQuarto;[240]Columbia, a nationally regardedliterary journal; theColumbia Journal of Literary Criticism;[241] andThe Mobius Strip, an online arts and literary magazine.[242]Inside New York is an annual guidebook to New York City, written, edited, and published by Columbia undergraduates. Through a distribution agreement withColumbia University Press, the book is sold at major retailers and independent bookstores.[243]
Columbia is home to numerous undergraduate academic publications. TheColumbia Undergraduate Science Journal prints original science research in its two annual publications.[244] TheJournal of Politics & Society is a journal of undergraduate research in the social sciences;[245]Publius is an undergraduate journal of politics established in 2008 and published biannually;[246] theColumbia East Asia Review allows undergraduates throughout the world to publish original work on China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam and is supported by theWeatherhead East Asian Institute;[247]The Birch is an undergraduate journal of Eastern European and Eurasian culture that is the first national student-run journal of its kind;[248] theColumbia Economics Review is the undergraduate economic journal on research and policy supported by the Columbia Economics Department; and theColumbia Science Review is a science magazine that prints general interest articles and faculty profiles.[249]
Humor publications on Columbia's campus includeThe Fed, a triweekly satire and investigative newspaper, and theJester of Columbia.[250][251] Other publications includeThe Columbian, the undergraduate colleges' annually published yearbook;[252] theGadfly, a biannual journal of popular philosophy produced by undergraduates;[253] andRhapsody in Blue, an undergraduate urban studies magazine.[254] Professional journals published by academic departments at Columbia University includeCurrent Musicology andThe Journal of Philosophy.[255][256] During the spring semester, graduate students in the Journalism School publishThe Bronx Beat, a bi-weekly newspaper covering the South Bronx.
Founded in 1961 under the auspices of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, theColumbia Journalism Review (CJR) examines day-to-day press performance as well as the forces that affect that performance. The magazine is published six times a year.[257]
Former publications include theColumbia University Forum, a review of literature and cultural affairs distributed for free to alumni.[258][259]
Broadcasting
Columbia is home to two pioneers in undergraduatecampus radio broadcasting,WKCR-FM and CTV. Many undergraduates are also involved with Barnard's radio station,WBAR. WKCR, the student run radio station that broadcasts to the Tri-state area, claims to be the oldest FM radio station in the world, owing to the university's affiliation withEdwin Howard Armstrong.[260] The station has its studios on the second floor of Alfred Lerner Hall on the Morningside campus with its main transmitter tower at4 Times Square inMidtown Manhattan. Columbia Television (CTV) is the nation's second oldeststudent television station and the home of CTV News, a weekly live news program produced by undergraduate students.[261][262]
Debate and Model UN
ThePhilolexian Society is a literary and debating club founded in 1802, making it the oldest student group at Columbia, as well as the third oldest collegiate literary society in the country.[263] The society annually administers theJoyce Kilmer Memorial Bad Poetry Contest.[264] The Columbia Parliamentary Debate Team competes in tournaments around the country as part of theAmerican Parliamentary Debate Association, and hosts both high school and college tournaments on Columbia's campus, as well as public debates on issues affecting the university.[265]
The Columbia International Relations Council and Association (CIRCA), oversees Columbia'sModel United Nations activities. CIRCA hosts college and high school Model UN conferences, hosts speakers influential in international politics to speak on campus, and trains students from underprivileged schools in New York in Model UN.[266]
Columbia is a top supplier of young engineering entrepreneurs for New York City. Over the past 20 years, graduates of Columbia established over 100 technology companies.[267]
The Columbia University Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs (CORE) was founded in 1999. The student-run group aims to foster entrepreneurship on campus. Each year CORE hosts dozens of events, including talks, #StartupColumbia, a conference and venture competition for $250,000, and Ignite@CU, a weekend for undergrads interested in design, engineering, and entrepreneurship. Notable speakers includePeter Thiel,Jack Dorsey,[268]Alexis Ohanian,Drew Houston, andMark Cuban. As of 2006, CORE had awarded graduate and undergraduate students over $100,000 in seed capital.
CampusNetwork, an on-campus social networking site called Campus Network that preceded Facebook, was created and popularized by Columbia engineering student Adam Goldberg in 2003.Mark Zuckerberg later asked Goldberg to join him inPalo Alto to work on Facebook, but Goldberg declined the offer.[269] TheFu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science offers a minor in Technical Entrepreneurship through its Center for Technology, Innovation, and Community Engagement. SEAS' entrepreneurship activities focus on community building initiatives in New York and worldwide, made possible through partners such asMicrosoft Corporation.[270]
Established in 2003 by university presidentLee C. Bollinger, the World Leaders Forum at Columbia University provides the opportunity for students and faculty to listen to world leaders in government, religion, industry, finance, and academia.[272]
The Columbia University Orchestra was founded by composerEdward MacDowell in 1896, and is the oldest continually operating university orchestra in the United States. Undergraduate student composers at Columbia may choose to become involved with Columbia New Music, which sponsors concerts of music written by undergraduate students from all of Columbia's schools.[274] The Notes and Keys, the oldesta cappella group at Columbia, was founded in 1909.[275] There are a number of performing arts groups at Columbia dedicated to producing student theater, including the Columbia Players, King's Crown Shakespeare Troupe (KCST), Columbia Musical Theater Society (CMTS), NOMADS (New and Original Material Authored and Directed by Students), LateNite Theatre, Columbia University Performing Arts League (CUPAL), Black Theatre Ensemble (BTE), sketch comedy group Chowdah, and improvisational troupes Alfred and Fruit Paunch.[276]
TheColumbia Queer Alliance is the central Columbia student organization that represents the bisexual, lesbian, gay, transgender, and questioning student population. It is the oldestgay student organization in the world, founded as the StudentHomophile League in 1967 by students including lifelong activistStephen Donaldson.[277][278]
Columbia University campus military groups include the U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University and Advocates for Columbia ROTC. In the 2005–06 academic year, the Columbia Military Society, Columbia's student group for ROTC cadets and Marine officer candidates, was renamed the Hamilton Society for "students who aspire to serve their nation through the military in the tradition ofAlexander Hamilton".[279]
A member institution of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) inDivision IFCS, Columbia fields varsity teams in 29 sports and is a member of theIvy League. The football Lions play home games at the 17,000-seatRobert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. The Baker Athletics Complex also includes facilities for baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, tennis, track, and rowing, as well as the new Campbell Sports Center, which opened in January 2013. The basketball, fencing, swimming & diving, volleyball, and wrestling programs are based at the Dodge Physical Fitness Center on the main campus.[282]
Columbia University participated in multiple firsts within collegiate athletics.[287] The football program is best known for its record of futility set during the 1980s: between 1983 and 1988, the team lost 44 games in a row, which is still the record for the NCAAFootball Championship Subdivision. The streak was broken on October 8, 1988, with a 16–13 victory over arch-rivalPrinceton University. That was the Lions' first victory at Wien Stadium, which had been opened during the losing streak and was already four years old.[288] A new tradition has developed with theLiberty Cup. The Liberty Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the football game betweenFordham and Columbia Universities, two of the only three NCAA Division I football teams in New York City.[289]
The Varsity Show is one of the oldest traditions at Columbia. Founded in 1893 as a fundraiser for the university's fledgling athletic teams, the Varsity Show now draws together the entire Columbia undergraduate community for a series of performances every April. Dedicated to producing a unique full-length musical that skewers and satirizes many dubious aspects of life at Columbia, the Varsity Show is written and performed exclusively by university undergraduates. Various renowned playwrights, composers, authors, directors, and actors have contributed to the Varsity Show, either as writers or performers, while students at Columbia, includingRichard Rodgers,Oscar Hammerstein II,Lorenz Hart,Herman J. Mankiewicz,I. A. L. Diamond,Herman Wouk,Greta Gerwig, andKate McKinnon.[290]
The first modern Yule Log ceremony inJohn Jay Hall, 1910
The campus Tree Lighting ceremony was inaugurated in 1998. It celebrates the illumination of the medium-sized trees lining College Walk in front of Kent Hall andHamilton Hall on the east end and Dodge Hall and Pulitzer Hall on the west, just before finals week in early December. The lights remain on until February 28. Students meet atthe sundial for free hot chocolate, performances bya cappella groups, and speeches by the university president and a guest.[292]
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 32nd President of the United States; 44th Governor of New York — Columbia Law School
Theodore Roosevelt: 26th President of the United States; 25th Vice President of the United States; 33rd Governor of New York; Nobel laureate – Columbia Law School
Simon Kuznets: Nobel laureate; invented concept ofGDP; Milton Friedman's doctoral advisor — School of General Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
^McCaughey, Robert A. (2003),Stand, Columbia: A History of Columbia University in the City of New York, 1754–2004, New York: Columbia University Press, p. 177,ISBN0-231-13008-2,Several developments at Columbia in the 1890s helped separate, or at least dramatize, the break with what had gone before and what would come later. The first was a formal change in name, giving the institution the fourth in its history. It began in 1754 as King's College and became in 1784 and remained for three years thereafter Columbia College in the State of New York. From 1787 until 1896 Columbia was officially Columbia College in the City of New York, until, by trustee resolution on May 2, 1896, it became Columbia University in the City of New York.<Footnote 2: Columbia University Trustees Minutes, January 8, 1912. The change was formally accepted by the New York State Board of Regents in 1912. (page 609)>
^Taylor, Nick (2000).Laser : the inventor, the Nobel laureate, and the thirty-year patent war. New York: Simon & Schuster.ISBN978-0-684-83515-0.OCLC44594104.
^N. D. Opdyke, et al., "Paleomagnetic study of Antarctic deep-sea cores", Science 154(1966): 349–357.
^Heirtzler, J. R., et al., "Marine magnetic anomalies, geomagnetic field reversals, and motions of the ocean floor and continents",Journal of Geophysical Research, 73(1968): 2119–2136.
^Pitman, W. and M. Talwani, "Sea-floor spreading in the North Atlantic",GSA Bulletin, 83(1972): 619–646.
^abcMcCaughey, Robert (2003).Stand, Columbia : A History of Columbia University in the City of New York. New York, New York: Columbia University Press. p. 1.ISBN978-0-231-13008-0.
^Keppel, Fredrick Paul (1914).Columbia. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 26.
^Hewitt, Abram S (1965) [First published 1937 by Columbia University Press]."Liberty, Learning, and Property : Dedication of the New Buildings of Columbia University, Morningside Heights, May 2, 1896"(PDF). In Nevins, Allan (ed.).Selected writings, with Introduction by Nicholas Murray Butler. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press. pp. 315–337.OCLC264897. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on October 25, 2018.the time has come for a new and nobler civilization," ... when ... "the wealth which has accumulated in this city by the joint association of its people, and to which every human being contributes by his industry, shall come to be regarded as a sacred trust to be administered in the public interest for works of beneficence to all.
^Bradley, Stefan (2009).Harlem vs. Columbia University: Black Student Power in the Late 1960s. New York, New York: University of Illinois. pp. 5–19,164–191.ISBN978-0-252-03452-7.
^Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (3/2/1934–) (1996).New York SP Delta Psi, Alpha Chapter. File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York, 1964 – 2013. Archived fromthe original on May 5, 2021. RetrievedMay 5, 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (1980).New York SP Union Theological Seminary. File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York, 1964 – 2013. Archived fromthe original on June 11, 2021. RetrievedJune 11, 2021.
^Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture."Alma Mater (sculpture)". The Smithsonian Institution.Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. RetrievedApril 14, 2011.
^Richard P. Dober."The Steps at Low Library"(PDF). Dober, Lidsky, Craig and Associates, Inc. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on August 14, 2011. RetrievedApril 11, 2011.
^ab"Charters and Statutes"(PDF).Office of the Secretary - Columbia University. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on September 29, 2020. RetrievedMarch 22, 2018.
^Martin, Justin (October 15, 2009).Greenspan: The Man behind Money. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Basic Books. pp. 27–31.ISBN978-0-7382-0275-4.
^Tucker-Hamilton, Racine; Hickey, Matthew (December 17, 2004)."Interview with Eric H. Holder, Jr".Oral history project. The History Makers. Archived fromthe original(Interview) on December 21, 2008. RetrievedNovember 18, 2008.
^Rodgers, Richard.Musical Stages: An Autobiography (2002 Reissue), pp. 12, 20–21, 44. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.ISBN0-306-81134-0
^Hischak, Thomas (2007).The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing. p. 9.ISBN978-0-313-34140-3.
^Hughson Mooney, "Lorenz Hart"Archived September 1, 2012, at theWayback Machine, PBS, Excerpted from theDICTIONARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, SUPPLEMENT 3: 1941–1945. American Council of Learned Societies, 1973. Reprinted by permission of the American Council of Learned Societies, retrieved April 18, 2011
^Tax, Sol (December 18, 2021)."Franz Boas".Encyclopedia Britannica.Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2022.
^Leahey, Thomas Hardy (2004).A History of Psychology: Main Currents in psychological thought. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.ISBN0-13-111447-6.
Carriere, Micheal. "Fighting the war against blight: Columbia University, Morningside Heights, Inc., and counterinsurgent urban renewal."Journal of Planning History 10.1 (2011): 5-29.
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