Crossing the Classroom Threshold

Next week, CUArts will kick off ArtsLink, a program offering suggestions and funding for professors to help their classes participate in New York's cultural scene. Having already supported the advent of this interdisciplinary venture, the University's administration should not stop here. Columbia should adopt a University-wide program linking academics with public service, a task most logically placed under the jurisdiction of Community Impact, the Columbia-funded non-profit organization.

Though arts-related activities have already become regular additions to many classrooms, few programs blend public service and coursework. Gateway Lab, a required course for School of Engineering and Applied Science students, is one of the only classes that has been able to do so successfully. Similar to ArtsLink's goal, CI's Academic Affairs Committee urged student and faculty involvement in community-based initiatives. In recent years, however, insufficient funding and a small staff have brought this program to a halt. Earlier this year, ServiceNation brought public service—and Columbia's own commitment to it—under scrutiny. Though the event led University President Lee Bollinger to describe service as "an essential part of Columbia's identity and academic mission," the administration has done little since then to uphold the president's declaration.

Just as it supported CUArts' proposal to link the arts with seemingly unrelated disciplines, the administration should provide CI with resources to link community service to the classroom. Though not all classes may equal Gateway Lab, syllabi enriched with public service would fundamentally change the way students participate in the community. The program would provide great benefits to both students and the University, and its modest cost—especially compared to ArtsLink's—adds to its appeal. Incorporating professors, students, and existing tools and connections in this initiative would also keep costs down. Moreover, Provost Alan Brinkley's $20,000 donation to CI last year­—which compensated students pursuing unpaid internships in New York City—shows that the University would have no trouble finding sufficient interest and funding to get such a project off the ground.

CI is clamoring to become more central to student life by funding internships at non-profits and urging professors to enrich their syllabi with public service. To fulfill the promises made during ServiceNation, the administration should aid this non-profit in achieving its goals any way that it can. With CUArts' bringing the arts to every classroom, it is time for the University to allow CI to step up to the plate.