Columbia Global Centers | Athens is part of a network of 11 global centers of Columbia University in the City of New York, one of the world's leading academic institutions. The centers serve as knowledge hubs that aim to educate and inspire through research, dialogue, and action. They advance understanding, facilitate partnerships, and build the bridges necessary to tackle our changing world.
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On February 17, 2025, the Athens Columbia Global Center, in collaboration with the Earth Commons of Georgetown University, hosted a panel discussion titled Rising Temperatures, Rising Tensions – What Are the Security Implications for Greece and its Neighbors?
Event Recap: Artificial Intelligence: Hope vs. Hype – Bridging the Gap Between Reality and Potential
The Columbia Global Center Athens hosted a discussion on AI’s impact on employment, energy consumption, education, and intellectual property rights.
The Athens Center continues its events with an engaging panel discussion on migration policy.
The Athens Center launches its Distinguished Speaker Series with The Power of AI: Accelerating Climate Change or Driving Solutions?
Healing Roots refugee mental health project in Greece Wins 2024 Columbia World Projects Impact Award
This project was announced as a winner of the 2024 Columbia World Projects Impact Awards.
On May 25, 2024, a panel of experts convened to address pressing issues related to cultural heritage and the protection of antiquities. The discussion explored the economic, moral, social, and political dimensions of the antiquities market, offering valuable insights into the challenges and responsibilities tied to preserving cultural patrimony.
Stefanos Gandolfo named director of Columbia Global Center Athens.
The one-week program is open to undergraduate and graduate students to explore the history and culture of Athens.
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History
Greece and Columbia
Columbia University announced in November 2022 the launch of a new Columbia Global center in Athens, Greece.
The impact of Greece on western civilization is unmatched, extending far beyond the Athenian democratic experiment that is considered the origin of modern-day democracies across the globe.
Many European and US American universities study Greek antiquity, but, in Columbia’s academic life, Greece has always had a special role.
The Core Curriculum that all Columbia undergraduate students are required to take–anchored in Western literary, historical, political, and art traditions—starts with Greece.
Columbia in Greece
Columbia's presence in Athens offers unique opportunities for the University to gain a deeper understanding of the juxtaposition of history and contributions of ancient Greece with the Greece of today and tomorrow: a country situated at the confluence of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, partaking of the culture of her neighbors to the north, east, and south, and bound to them by history and geography.
At the same time, Greece offers the unparalleled opportunity for working together with academics and practitioners in Greece to advance areas of mutual interest and to contribute to the vibrant academic and cultural life of the country. From the classics, to business and innovation, to climate change and its impact, to migration and international affairs, Athens– with its libraries, museums, archives, and monuments–is a living laboratory for research and education.
“The aspirational challenge that we embrace through the centers is to chart a path forward that builds on the needs of our global and Columbia communities, captures the intersectionality of our work, and, quite simply, harnesses our imagination and intellectual curiosity.”
