SANTIAGO, March 2012-In an ongoing effort to broaden Columbia's already extensive global presence and perspective, University President Lee C. Bollinger joins today with alumni, supporters, faculty and a delegation of international visitors to open a Columbia Global Center in Santiago, Chile-the University's first in Latin America.
"With 2012 marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of Columbia's Institute for Latin American Studies, the opening of the Global Center in Santiago comes as a timely reminder of our University's long and rich history of studying Latin America," President Bollinger said. "The Santiago center now takes its place alongside Columbia Global Centers in East and South Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, each one offering fresh opportunities for students and faculty at our New York campuses to engage an international network of scholars, researchers and citizens."
Columbia Global Centers promote and facilitate international collaborations, research projects, academic programming and study abroad, enhancing the University's historic commitment to global scholarship. In addition to Santiago, regional centers have opened or have been announced in Amman, Beijing, Istanbul, Mumbai, Nairobi and Paris.
Following a signing ceremony and welcoming remarks by President Bollinger, a roundtable discussion convenes on the topic, Inequality: A Global Perspective. Discussants include University Provost John H. Coatsworth; Robert C. Lieberman, acting dean of the School of International and Public Affairs; Nirupam Bajpai, director of the Columbia Global Center in India; and Marianne Hirsch, professor of English and comparative literature. Karen Poniachik, director of Santiago center, serves as moderator.
Columbia University-a leading partner in the New York City Consortium on Latin America and listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Resource Center on Latin America-is a pioneer in Latin American studies, scholarship and research. The 150 faculty members associated with its Institute for Latin American Studies are drawn from many of Columbia's professional schools and academic departments, including the School of International and Public Affairs, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Teachers College, Barnard College, Columbia's Earth Institute and its Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race.
Programs and projects at the new center include:
The Earth Institute's International Research Institute for Climate and Society is working with Chile's Ministry of Agriculture to improve climate risk management in the country. It is also working with local partners in the northern Coquimbo region to develop an early warning system to improve preparedness and response to drought-related emergencies.
Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, Chile's Universidad Andres Bello and Santiago's Clínica Indisa are working together on medical education through a two-way student exchange program.
Columbia's Global Mental Health Program and several Latin American partners, among them the School of Public Health at Universidad de Chile, are developing regional plans to build research capacity and improve mental health services.
The School of Economics and Business at Universidad de Chile has partnered with Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs to offer a summer executive training program on regional and international finance topics featuring Columbia faculty.
Columbia Business School's Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Latin America Program provides entrepreneurs with the opportunity to learn from world-class teachers, build a global professional network, and enhance their organizations' strategy and operations.
Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism and Universidad de Chile's Institute of Communication and Image will cooperate on research, training and postgraduate curriculum development, and work together on student exchange.
Columbia Global Centers encourage new relationships across schools, institutes, and academic departments at the University. Some of the research and scholarly initiatives are regionally focused while others involve multiple centers engaged in truly global conversations. The centers also support a significant expansion of opportunities for Columbia students to do hands-on research and service-learning abroad, particularly those who may not want to spend a full semester or academic year off-campus.
Some universities in the United States have built branch campuses and degree-granting schools abroad. Columbia is taking a different path. The Columbia Global Centers provide flexible regional hubs for a wide range of activities and resources intended to enhance the quality of research and learning at the University. They are built on the belief that establishing an interactive network of partnerships across geographic boundaries and collaborations across traditional academic disciplines can help address complex challenges by bringing together scholars, students, public officials, private enterprise and innovators from many fields.
About Columbia University
A leading academic and research university, Columbia University continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time. Columbia's extensive public service initiatives, cultural collaborations and community partnerships help define the University's underlying values and mission to educate students to be both leading scholars and informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as King's College, Columbia University in the City of New York is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.
Source: Columbia University
