Columbia Global Centers
Encyclopedia
Columbia Global Centers are research facilities established by Columbia University
in four locations around the world, as part of its initiative to further establish an international research university. The first of these centers opened in March 2009 in Beijing
, China
and Amman
, Jordan
, and Columbia opened facilities in Paris
, France
and Mumbai
, India
in March 2010. Additional locations in Istanbul
, Nairobi
, Rio de Janeiro
, Santiago de Chile and Kazakhstan
are currently being developed.
The Center's current projects include co-hosting the Summer Palace Dialogue
of Chinese and American Economists (SPD) with the Chinese Economist 50 Forum. SPD brings together a small group of American and Chinese economists to debate and discuss economic cooperation between the two countries. Past years' Dialogues have centered around the global financial crisis and U.S.-China cooperation on climate change.
Another project of the Center is Urban China Initiative
, a joint program between Columbia Global Centers | East Asia and McKinsey & Company
. Another project is the Collaborative Center for Advanced Genomic Research between Tsinghua University
and Columbia, as well as the Executive Public Policy Training Program at Peking University
--a mid-career program for senior Chinese government officials that combines training in policy, economics, and management, and is taught by faculty from Columbia University
’s School of International and Public Affairs
, Peking University
, the London School of Economics
, and Sciences Po. Columbia faculty base themselves at the Beijing center and interact with Columbia scholars who are in the city for other projects.
Held at the end of October 2009, CGC Beijing worked with Initiative for Policy Dialogue
(IPD) to organize a conference in Beijing with the China Task Force, a collaborative research project of IPD with several Chinese and British universities.
Xiaobo Lü, professor of political science at Barnard College
and former director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute
at Columbia, served as the first Director of the East Asia center, followed by Chinese economist Geng Xiao. The current director is Professor Safwan M. Masri.
center, officially called the Columbia University Middle East Research Center, opened with the assistance of Jordan
's Queen Rania Al Abdullah and was funded by grants from both the US government and the government of Jordan.
Current activities in Amman include collaborating with Jordanian resources toward accomplishing educational reforms and enhancing teacher and social worker skills, as well as undertaking several initiatives in the arts and architecture. The signature program, and catalyst for the center’s launch in Jordan, is a training center with Queen Rania through the Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA), a collaborative effort of the Center, Columbia’s Teachers College, and Jordan’s Ministry of Education. The training center provides Jordan's first-ever induction program for new teachers, training nearly 400 teachers in 2009.
The Center has also been selected, working with the Earth Institute, as the MENA-region node of the Global Soil Mapping Initiative. Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture is to delegate a full-time staff member to begin gathering soil composition data throughout North Africa and the Middle East, and the information will be digitized in publicly accessible, searchable databases.
Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
will launch a research lab at the Amman center for collaborative research, projects, exhibitions, events, and cultural exchanges involving students, scholars, and designers from Columbia University and the Middle East. Columbia's School of the Arts, its Arts Initiative, and university libraries are also pursuing initiatives in the region, including the Music of the Muslim World archive.
Columbia Business School faculty Safwan Masri directs the global center in Amman
.
, Columbia's Paris property.
According to a signed memorandum of understanding between Columbia and L’École des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique (EHESP), Reid Hall will host the consortium’s ambitious project to shape public health in the 21st century. As a part of the agreement, Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health (MSPH) and EHESP will utilize Reid Hall for joint, innovative programs of mutual interest, including research and teaching. Reid Hall also serves as the base of operations for an Arts-focused initiative in West Africa.
, India
, in late March 2010.
Earth Institute economist Nirupam Bajpai has called the Center "a huge project both physically and in its programming." One major initial project will be "India 2047", a sustainability initiative meant to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of India's independence.
Among the new collaborations is Studio-X Mumbai, a GSAPP project. Studio-X serves as the Columbia architecture school’s international network of leadership laboratories for research, public dialogue, and exhibitions about the future of the constructed environment.
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in four locations around the world, as part of its initiative to further establish an international research university. The first of these centers opened in March 2009 in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, and Columbia opened facilities in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in March 2010. Additional locations in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Santiago de Chile and Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
are currently being developed.
Purpose
Columbia created the global centers "to promote and facilitate international collaborations, new research projects, academic programming and study abroad, enhancing Columbia’s historical commitment to global scholarship." Columbia Global Centers act as regional hubs for a wide range of activities intended to enhance research in respective areas and at Columbia. The university aims to establish a network of centers in international capitals that brings together regional private enterprise, public officials, scholars, and students to collaboratively address global issues.Columbia Global Centers | East Asia
The Beijing Center launched in March 2009 provides a base for activities throughout East Asia.The Center's current projects include co-hosting the Summer Palace Dialogue
Summer Palace Dialogue
The Summer Palace Dialogue is an economic forum which brings together economists from both China and the United States to discuss economic cooperation between the two largest economies in the world. SPD is co-hosted by Chinese Economists 50 Forum and the Columbia Global Centers East Asia, and was...
of Chinese and American Economists (SPD) with the Chinese Economist 50 Forum. SPD brings together a small group of American and Chinese economists to debate and discuss economic cooperation between the two countries. Past years' Dialogues have centered around the global financial crisis and U.S.-China cooperation on climate change.
Another project of the Center is Urban China Initiative
Urban China Initiative
Urban China Initiative is a Beijing-based public-private think tank dedicated to exploring and implementing solutions to China’s urbanization challenges. It is a joint initiative led by Columbia University, the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University, and McKinsey & Company...
, a joint program between Columbia Global Centers | East Asia and McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
. Another project is the Collaborative Center for Advanced Genomic Research between Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
and Columbia, as well as the Executive Public Policy Training Program at Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
--a mid-career program for senior Chinese government officials that combines training in policy, economics, and management, and is taught by faculty from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
’s School of International and Public Affairs
School of International and Public Affairs
The School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University is one of the most prestigious graduate schools of public policy in the world. Located on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus in the Borough of Manhattan, in New York City, the School has 15,000 graduates in more than 150...
, Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
, the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, and Sciences Po. Columbia faculty base themselves at the Beijing center and interact with Columbia scholars who are in the city for other projects.
Held at the end of October 2009, CGC Beijing worked with Initiative for Policy Dialogue
Initiative for Policy Dialogue
The Initiative for Policy Dialogue is a non-profit organization based at Columbia University in the United States.IPD was founded in July 2000 by Joseph E...
(IPD) to organize a conference in Beijing with the China Task Force, a collaborative research project of IPD with several Chinese and British universities.
Xiaobo Lü, professor of political science at Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
and former director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute
Weatherhead East Asian Institute
The Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University is a community of scholars affiliated with Columbia's Schools of Business, Law, International and Public Affairs, and Arts and Sciences, bringing together over 50 full-time faculty, a diverse group of visiting scholars and professionals,...
at Columbia, served as the first Director of the East Asia center, followed by Chinese economist Geng Xiao. The current director is Professor Safwan M. Masri.
Columbia Global Centers | Middle East
The AmmanAmman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
center, officially called the Columbia University Middle East Research Center, opened with the assistance of Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
's Queen Rania Al Abdullah and was funded by grants from both the US government and the government of Jordan.
Current activities in Amman include collaborating with Jordanian resources toward accomplishing educational reforms and enhancing teacher and social worker skills, as well as undertaking several initiatives in the arts and architecture. The signature program, and catalyst for the center’s launch in Jordan, is a training center with Queen Rania through the Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA), a collaborative effort of the Center, Columbia’s Teachers College, and Jordan’s Ministry of Education. The training center provides Jordan's first-ever induction program for new teachers, training nearly 400 teachers in 2009.
The Center has also been selected, working with the Earth Institute, as the MENA-region node of the Global Soil Mapping Initiative. Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture is to delegate a full-time staff member to begin gathering soil composition data throughout North Africa and the Middle East, and the information will be digitized in publicly accessible, searchable databases.
Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University in New York City, also known simply as GSAPP, is regarded as one of the most important and prestigious architecture schools in the world...
will launch a research lab at the Amman center for collaborative research, projects, exhibitions, events, and cultural exchanges involving students, scholars, and designers from Columbia University and the Middle East. Columbia's School of the Arts, its Arts Initiative, and university libraries are also pursuing initiatives in the region, including the Music of the Muslim World archive.
Columbia Business School faculty Safwan Masri directs the global center in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
.
Columbia Global Centers | Europe
In March 2010, the Columbia Global Center | Europe was formally launched at Reid HallReid Hall
Reid Hall is a complex of academic facilities owned and operated by Columbia University that is located in the St. Germain des Prés district of Paris, France. It houses the Columbia University Institute for Scholars at Reid Hall in addition to various graduate and undergraduate divisions of over a...
, Columbia's Paris property.
According to a signed memorandum of understanding between Columbia and L’École des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique (EHESP), Reid Hall will host the consortium’s ambitious project to shape public health in the 21st century. As a part of the agreement, Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health (MSPH) and EHESP will utilize Reid Hall for joint, innovative programs of mutual interest, including research and teaching. Reid Hall also serves as the base of operations for an Arts-focused initiative in West Africa.
Columbia Global Centers | South Asia
Columbia's Global Center for South Asia was launched in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, in late March 2010.
Earth Institute economist Nirupam Bajpai has called the Center "a huge project both physically and in its programming." One major initial project will be "India 2047", a sustainability initiative meant to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of India's independence.
Among the new collaborations is Studio-X Mumbai, a GSAPP project. Studio-X serves as the Columbia architecture school’s international network of leadership laboratories for research, public dialogue, and exhibitions about the future of the constructed environment.