The Columbia Global Centers Network
There are currently 11 Columbia Global Centers operating in Amman, Athens, Beijing, Mumbai, Paris, Istanbul, Nairobi, Santiago, Rio de Janeiro, Tel Aviv, and Tunis.
Attuned to the priorities and unique circumstances of its host region, each center leverages the University’s diverse intellectual capacities from across the undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, and pursues a set of university-wide core activities that evolves over time based on the active engagement of faculty and students.
The centers help increase international content in the classroom; supplement the curriculum with international study abroad, internship opportunities, and course offerings; provide resources needed to attract students from abroad; facilitate research opportunities for Columbia students and faculty on globally relevant, interdisciplinary topics; and provide a point of ongoing engagement for international alumni.
Functioning as a network, the global centers encourage teaching and research that require working across disciplinary boundaries, having a presence in multiple regions, and engaging non-Columbia experts and scholars from those regions. Some of the centers’ programs and research initiatives are country-specific, some regional, and an increasing number are multi-regional, even global. The network is in its infancy, and each center has started by building strong links with universities and institutions in its respective region. The long-term ambition is that many programs will have a global reach and involve multiple centers in the network engaged in truly global conversations.
The Santiago Center
In 2012, the long and fruitful relationship between Chile and Columbia translated into the establishment of a Global Center in Santiago. Relying on the knowledge and research of numerous Columbia faculty members, schools, centers and institutes, over the last 14 years, the Santiago Center has organized several hundred public programs to address emerging topics and challenges for Chile and the Latin American region.
With a multidisciplinary approach, the Center works broadly over three thematic areas:
Smart Conservation and Sustainable Development
Due to its unique geographical features and diverse ecosystems, Chile offers a wide array of collaboration and research opportunities in climate and environmental issues, including water scarcity and management, desalination technology, conservation, and renewable energy.
Workforce for Tomorrow
A workforce for tomorrow that will guide Chile to 2040 is highly dependent on a quality, public educational offering, a strong entrepreneurial sector, public/private partnerships to grapple with declining birth rates and growing inequality, and understanding how the jobs of tomorrow will co-exist with artificial intelligence and similar technological advances.
Strengthening the Civic Compact
We can judge a society’s health by the strength of its civic compact. Urban planning policies that encourage smart mixed-use housing and business options, leveraging technology to address security concerns, innovative public health solutions, and reminding the citizenry of the country’s rich heritage and cultural expressions are vital areas of work that require partnerships across multiple sectors.
Our Mission
- Assist Columbia University in the development and execution of its various research and teaching programs in Chile and the Latin American region
- Serve as a regional base, enabling the Columbia University academic community to interact on a local level with students, faculty, and alumni
- Leverage Columbia University's superb research capabilities to initiate projects focus in Chile and the South Cone on a variety of issues and to offer assessment, advice and solutions to support Chilean sustainable development.
- Promote the collaboration and exchange of professors and students, as well as the development of joint programs between Columbia University and local universities.