Our vision

Nearly 100 years ago, Columbia College altered the landscape of American higher education with a pioneering experiment now known as the Core Curriculum. We are drawing up a blueprint for the future that reinforces our foundations and raises our sights even higher. Emboldened by great books, inspired by culture, united by diversity and stirred by big ideas, we are poised to build a better Columbia and with it, a better world.

 

Our vision

Priorities

  • Endow the Core

    Created in response to the devastating aftermath of World War I, the Core Curriculum sought to prepare students for a life of active citizenship by exposing them to profound works of literature and philosophy. Once again, our world is faced with overwhelming challenges, as dramatic shifts in society test each of us to reflect on our values, beliefs and responsibilities towards one another. The Core proves its continued relevance by preparing undergraduates to approach our rapidly changing world with a liberal arts mindset--one that is deliberate, rational, tolerant and curious. Join Columbia College in bolstering an historic program that cultivates a critical habit of mind and a passion for discourse around the unknown, the difficult, the distasteful and the profound, for their betterment as human beings and for the betterment of society itself.

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  • Support Our Students

    Diversity bolsters every aspect of our blueprint for student success, from need-blind admissions, to the rich mélange of viewpoints in a Core seminar, to exceptional summer experiences that augment scholarship through real-world experiences. We are liberating young Columbians to explore freely and with passion, while testing their mettle and challenging their perceptions. With that, our students can set their sights beyond the campus’ rooftops, rolling up their sleeves to boldly lead our world onward.

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  • Support Our Faculty

    Campus reverberates with faculty-student interactions that fuel the creation of knowledge and propel Columbia to greatness. Columbia College students benefit from studying alongside artists who break rules and shatter expectations, philosophers who create structures for thought, physicists who solve the universe’s greatest enigmas and policymakers who help society rise above history. Supporting our faculty supports not only great research, but also great teaching.

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  • Propel the Columbia College Fund

    As we expand our foundations and raise our pillars to new heights, we’ll also continue to do what we do best, day after day: provide an undergraduate experience that is unparalleled in shaping great thinkers, problem solvers, artists, inventors and thoughtful citizens. Your support of the Columbia College Fund makes it possible for the College to be flexible so we can seize new opportunities while always upholding what we know to be best for our students.

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Core Moments

Core

Democracy and the Core

Eric H. Holder Jr. CC'73, LAW'76 and Professor John McWhorter with Dean James Valentini
Students

A Remarkable Meetup 22 Years in the Making

Danny Lee CC’95 and Alan Steinberg CC’48, SEAS’50
Volunteers

The Role of a Lifetime

Rita Pietropinto-Kitt CC’93, SOA’96
Faculty

Planting Mentorship Opportunities

Andy Garcia CC’17 and Professor Kevin Griffin
Core

Remember When We "Met"?

Music Humanities

VIEW STORIES

Campaign Momentum

797

DAYS LEFT

$389M

RAISED TO DATE

33,490

DONORS
97%
Did You Know?
The Columbia swim test has always been a unique part of our students’ experience. Dive in with us to create more experiences!
$400 Million
Fun Fact
Did You Know?
The Columbia swim test has always been a unique part of our students’ experience. Dive in with us to create more experiences!

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Let the future commence.

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