Who we are

The Columbia Global Centers Network

There are currently ten Columbia Global Centers operating in Amman, Athens, Beijing, Mumbai, Paris, Istanbul, Nairobi, Santiago, Rio de Janeiro 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 11 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 has sponsored research projects that focus on key public policy issues in the fields of earth sciences, climate change, political science, global and public health, journalism, and education, among others. These actions have had relevant implications in the advancement of knowledge and public debate in the region, promoting collaboration between Columbia researchers and their local counterparts, all the while engaging with the region’s students and Chilean alumni, the latter of which surpass 600 since 1990 alone.

The Santiago Center embraces an intellectual yet practical approach, strengthening the cross-learning potential and enhancing the value of the entire network to Columbia. Our work over the past 11 years has yielded deep engagement with faculty, students, alumni and local partners in Chile while also paving the way for increased, impactful activities in the years to come.

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.