This story is part of our Orientation 2012 special issue. Check out our complete guide to life at Columbia here.
Columbia is kicking off several globalization programs this semester, the latest steps in an effort to make a Columbia education a more global experience.
In September, the University will launch its newest global center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, adding to a list of centers that already includes Amman, Beijing, Istanbul, Mumbai, Nairobi, Paris, and Santiago. University President Lee Bollinger has said that eventually, he wants all students to spend time at the global centers, which serve as research hubs rather than branch campuses.
The centers’ directors will assemble in New York next month for a conference, as part of newly appointed Vice President for Global Centers Safwan Masri’s agenda of increasing communication between the centers and the Morningside Heights community. The directors also plan to speak at the World Leaders Forum, an annual series of events during which heads of state and other international leaders convene at Columbia.
Meanwhile, a group of six students participating in a new fifth-year study abroad program will set off on their globe-hopping independent research projects in October. And in March, Barnard will hold a women’s leadership symposium in São Paulo, Brazil, as part of its ongoing efforts to increase its international reach.
Additionally, General Studies students will be required to take Global Core courses for the first time this fall, as students at Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science are already required to do. Committees have also formed to discuss the idea of offering Core Curriculum classes at the global centers.
