Envisioned by President Lee C. Bollinger in 2009, the Columbia Global Centers connect the local with the global by providing opportunities for shared learning and dialogue. The Centers’ impactful, collaborative programming maximizes engagement among the University’s faculty, students, and alumni to address global challenges, and advance knowledge and its exchange.
Never has the mission been more important than now, and never has the unique, networked structure of the worldwide Global Centers proved more prescient.
Virtual Global Internships
In response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers rolled out initiatives tailored to this moment. They include the creation of regional communities of international students and a virtual internship program that offers wide-ranging internships for Columbia students with companies and institutions around the world.
Global Webinars
In addition, they have provided robust, topical, online programming of over 220 instructive webinars in a variety of languages. Topics have ranged from a discussion of globalization with Professor Jeffrey Sachs and his new book, The Ages of Globalization, to a vigorous discussion on global racial justice protests with a Black Lives Matter panel including Professors Jelani Cobb and Farah Griffin, to French Islamic scholar Giles Kepel sharing his views on Middle East geopolitical stressors.
Global Columbia Collaboratory
Most recently, they have partnered on the College-led Global Columbia Collaboratory. The Collaboratory is a program designed to help students connect and cooperate across a global network, empowering them to make a difference in the world as global citizens. The Columbia Global Centers is providing three seminars related to the pandemic. The seminars are created for students chosen but the global public is invited to attend. For more information about the seminars, go here.
Expanded Global Locations for Learning & Engagement
For the coming academic year, the Global Centers will harness their expertise, location, and network to provide learning and engagement opportunities for Columbia’s 12,000 international students, who hail from over 150 countries.
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Nothing is more important to the University than sustaining education, community, and engagement, regardless of the pandemic and regardless of the temporal political winds. With new Columbia Global Centers initiatives, the increased number of regional locations, and enhanced programming, the Global Centers can ensure international students and the University will continue together in a shared experience.