Columbia College, Columbia University

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Columbia College (New York)
)
For the university, see Columbia University. For the no-relation liberal arts college in New York, see King's College.
Columbia College
TypePrivate
Established1754; 270 years ago (1754)
Parent institution
Columbia University
DeanJosef Sorett
Students4,500[1]
Location
New York City
,
New York
,
United States
Websitewww.college.columbia.edu

Columbia College is the oldest

Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan, it was founded by the Church of England in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of King George II of Great Britain. It is Columbia University's traditional undergraduate program, offering BA degrees, and is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York
and the fifth oldest in the United States.

Columbia College is distinctive for its comprehensive Core Curriculum and is among the most selective of American colleges, with an admission rate of 3.85% in 2024.

History

First skin of the Charter of King's College, 1754

Columbia College was founded as King's College in 1754 in the

Trinity Church on Broadway opposite Wall Street
in New York City. The college remained at this site for less than a decade.

The college chose

Samuel Johnson to be its first president. He was also the college's first (and for a time only) professor. During this period, classes and examinations, both oral and written, were conducted entirely in Latin
.

Park Place Campus

By 1760, Columbia had relocated from the Trinity Church site to one along Park Place, near the city commons and today's New York City Hall.

In 1767, Samuel Bard established a medical college at the school, now known as the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, which was the first medical school to grant the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree in America.

Due to the

United States Constitution
.

Hamilton's first experience with the military came while a student during the summer of 1775, after the outbreak of fighting at

the Battery, becoming an artillery unit thereafter. Ironically, in 1776 Captain Hamilton would engage in the Battle of Harlem Heights
, which took place on and around the site that would later become home to his alma mater more than a century later, only to be entombed after his dueling death some years later at the original home of King's College in Trinity Church yard.

College Hall in 1790

With the successful Treaty of Paris in 1783, the domestic situation was stable enough for the college to resume classes in 1784. With the new nation's independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, the name of the institution was changed from King's College to Columbia College, the name by which the institution continues to be known today. The college was briefly chartered as a state institution, lasting only until 1787, when due to a lack of public financial support the school was permitted to incorporate under a private board of trustees. This 1787 charter remains in effect. The renamed and reorganized college, located in the new national capital under the Constitution and free from its association with the Church of England, received students from a variety of denominations as a response to its growing reputation as one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the new nation.[citation needed]

Midtown Campus

Columbia was located at its Park Place campus near

49th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan
.

During the college's forty years at this third location, in addition to granting the Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Medicine degrees, the faculties of the college were expanded to include the Columbia Law School (founded 1858), the Columbia School of Mines (founded 1864, now known as the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science). The Columbia School of Mines awarded the first Ph.D. from Columbia in 1875.

At this time, Columbia College was now not only the name of the original undergraduate college founded as King's College, but it also encompassed all of the other colleges and schools of the institution. (Though technically known as the "School of Arts", the undergraduate division was often called "The College proper" to avoid confusion.) After Seth Low became president of Columbia College in 1890, he advocated the division of the individual schools and colleges into their own semi-autonomous entities under the central administration of the university. The complexity of managing the institution had been further increased when Barnard College for Women became affiliated with Columbia in 1889 followed by Teachers College of Columbia University in 1891. Also by this time, graduate faculties issuing the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in philosophy, political science, and the natural sciences had also developed.

Hamilton Hall (left), new home of Columbia College, and Hartley Hall, the college's first dormitory, in 1907

Thus, in 1896, the trustees of Columbia College, under the guidance of Seth Low, approved a new name for the university as a whole, Columbia University in the City of New York. At this point, the name Columbia College returned to being used solely to refer to the original undergraduate college, founded as King's College in 1754 and renamed Columbia College in 1784.

Move to Morningside Heights

In addition to reclaiming the identity of Columbia College and making it the focus of the newly rearranged

Amsterdam Avenue
.

medieval and Gothic styles of architecture, the neoclassical style of the new Columbia University campus was meant to reflect the institution's roots in the Enlightenment and the spirit of intellectual discovery of the period. Columbia College and Columbia University
as a whole relocated to the new campus in 1897.

Van Amringe Quadrangle houses a memorial to John Howard Van Amringe, who served as the college's first dean after the formation of Columbia University

The academic history of traditions of Columbia College clearly had their beginnings in the classical education of the Enlightenment, and in this mold, the college's famous Core Curriculum was officially recognized and codified in 1919 with John Erskine's first seminar on the great books of the western tradition. Also in 1919, a course, War and Peace, was required of all Columbia College students in addition to the Great Books Honors Seminar.

During the 1960s, Columbia College, like many others across the United States, experienced unrest and turmoil due to the ongoing

ROTC programs were expelled, and the proposed expansion plans were canceled. The university experienced financial difficulties[2] throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, and admissions standards in the college slightly relaxed to hasten the diversification of the student body following the 1968 protests.[3] Paralleling a national trend after 1970, Columbia classes in the 1970s and 1980s, earned lower SAT scores than did Columbia students in the late 1960s. The scores were, however, similar to other Ivy schools except Harvard, Yale, and Princeton—a position not acceptable to Columbia's ambitious administration.[4][5]

After two committees reported in 1980 and 1981 that the all-male college's competitiveness with other Ivy League universities was decreasing, women were admitted in 1983.

218th Street
, were renovated and expanded.

Columbia College today

Columbia College bulletin

Admissions

Like other elite schools, Columbia has been attracting ever higher numbers of applicants, with a trend towards applicants appling to more than seven different institutions – an increasingly "scattershot approach" when compared to applications in the 1990s.[8] Columbia College (including Columbia Engineering) has an admittance rate that places it among the most selective of American colleges.[9] For the fall term of 2010, there were 26,178 applicants for 2,397 placements in the Class of 2014, for an acceptance rate of 9.16%.[10] By the fall term of 2024, applications had more than doubled, with 60,248 applicants for 2,319 placements in the Class of 2028, for an acceptance rate of 3.85%.[11]

Academics

Columbia College has long been known for its rigorous

distribution requirements
that form the heart of Columbia College students' academic experience.

Students are also required to pass a swimming test before receiving their diploma. The foreign language requirement, however, may be skipped if the student passes a placement exam or demonstrates requisite proficiency. Most students graduate within four years with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Campus

Hamilton Hall, home of the college, on the campus of Columbia University.

Most of the college's facilities are located on Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus, especially in Hamilton Hall, which houses its administrative and admissions offices, as well as the directors of the Core Curriculum.

Columbia University Libraries
consists of more than 9.2 million volumes held in 25 specialized libraries as well as a digital library, however Columbia College students do not have unlimited access to all specialized libraries.

Students at Columbia College are guaranteed campus housing for four years. Residence halls, which also house undergraduate students of Columbia's engineering school, are either located on the Morningside Heights main campus or within 10 blocks of the 116th Street entrance. First-year students are housed on the main quad in John Jay, Carman, Wallach, Hartley and Furnald Halls.

The two main dining facilities are John Jay Dining Hall and Ferris Booth Commons; all freshmen are required to have a full meal plan. Other school dining facilities available on the Morningside Heights campus are located in the recently remodeled student center, Alfred Lerner Hall, Faculty House,[13] and Uris Hall.

Governance

In 2011, after the resignation of Michele Moody-Adams, James Valentini replaced her as Dean of Columbia College. The students of Columbia College elect the Columbia College Student Council (CCSC) to serve as their primary representative, advocate, and liaison to the Columbia University community, including its administration, faculty, alumni and students, as well as to the public.

The college's board of visitors is an independent and self-governing advisory body composed of college alumni and parents. The board advocates for the interest of the college among the Columbia community, New York city and beyond. It also provides advice to the dean in identifying and addressing both immediate challenges and short-and long-term opportunities for the college. Members of the board currently include ZhenFund CEO Anna Fang, JP Morgan Chase global head of research Joyce Chang, Virtu Financial CEO Doug Cifu, Academy Award-winning producer Dede Gardner, former NYC Commissioner for Consumer and Worker Protection Peter Hatch, USRowing Chairman and president Nobuhisa Ishizuka, HEICO co-president Eric Mendelson, Sixth Street Partners co-founder Vijay Mohan, Warner Bros. General Counsel John Rogovin, Morgan Stanley's global head of technology Robert Rooney, HNA Group CEO Tan Xiangdong, former FTC Commissioner Mozelle W. Thompson, Happy Family CEO Shazi Visram, and hedge fund manager William von Mueffling.[14]

Former members of the board count among them PBS president Lawrence K. Grossman, Thomson Reuters CEO Tom Glocer, hedge fund manager Mark E. Kingdon, Bain Capital co-managing partner Jonathan Lavine, Univision CFO Frank Lopez-Balboa, airline investor Frank Lorenzo, real estate developer Philip L. Milstein, H.I.G. Capital founder Sami Mnaymneh, KKR executive Alex Navab, C-SPAN co-founder Robert Rosencrans, Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer, healthcare entrepreneur Daniel E. Straus.[15]

List of Deans of Columbia College

  1. 1896–1910 John Howard Van Amringe[16]
  2. 1910–1917 Frederick Paul Keppel
  3. 1918–1943 Herbert Hawkes
  4. 1943–1950
    Harry J. Carman
  5. 1950–1958 Lawrence Henry Chamberlain
  6. 1958–1962 John Gorham Palfrey
  7. 1963–1967
    David B. Truman
  8. 1967–1968 Henry S. Coleman (interim)[17]
  9. 1968–1972 Carl Hovde
  10. 1972–1976 Peter Pouncey
  11. 1976–1977 Robert L. Belknap (acting)
  12. 1977–1982 Arnold Collery
  13. 1982–1989 Robert Pollack
  14. 1989–1993 Jack Greenberg
  15. 1993–1995 Steven Marcus
  16. 1995–2009
    Austin Quigley
  17. 2009–2011 Michele Moody-Adams
  18. 2011–2022 James J. Valentini
  19. 2022–Present Josef Sorett

Noted people

Further information: List of Columbia College people and List of John Jay Award recipients

Many eminent individuals have attended or taught at Columbia College or King's College, its predecessor.

Among those College alumni categorized as "remarkable" by the university during its 250th anniversary celebrations in 2004

William Joseph Donovan
.

Academics listed include philosophers

Arthur Burns, paleontologist Niles Eldredge, drama scholar Brander Matthews, art historian Meyer Schapiro and literary critic Lionel Trilling
.

Public intellectuals and journalists, including broadcaster Roone Arledge, social critic Randolph Bourne, environmentalist Barry Commoner, and writers like Henry Demarest Lloyd and Norman Podhoretz are also prominent on the list. Major publishers included were Alfred Knopf, Arthur Sulzberger, and Bennett Cerf. Rabbi Stephen Wise is also considered prominent.

Columbia College graduates recognized in the arts include pianist

Joseph Mankiewicz, sculptor Isamu Noguchi, and violinist Gil Shaham
.

Architects

Robert A.M. Stern, engineer William Barclay Parsons, baseball player Lou Gehrig, football player Sid Luckman, and business leader John Kluge
were also Columbia College students.

Additionally, highly visible former Columbia College students in recent years include former President

Matthew Fox, Timothée Chalamet, George Segal, Julia Stiles, Cinta Laura, and Kate McKinnon, radio personality Max Kellerman, directors Jim Jarmusch, Brian De Palma and Bill Condon, television showrunners Jenji Kohan and Beau Willimon, writer Paul Auster, historian Eric Foner, and the chart-topping alt-rock band Vampire Weekend
.

Among its graduates and attendees, Columbia College can count at least 16

Tony Award winners, over 20 Academy Award winners, and 40 Pulitzer Prize winners.[20]

References

  1. ^ "How many students attend Columbia?". Columbia Undergraduate Admissions. Columbia University. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  2. ISBN 9780231130080
    – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Columbia Daily Spectator 5 October 1971 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu.
  4. ^ "Columbia Daily Spectator 29 August 1984 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu.
  5. ^ "SAT I Individual Score Equivalents – Research – The College Board". Research.collegeboard.org. Archived from the original on 2014-09-01. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  6. ^ "The Road to Coeducation". Columbia Spectator. 1983-08-29. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  7. ^ "Columbia Daily Spectator 15 September 1987 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu.
  8. ^ Pérez-Peña, Richard (2014-04-08). "Best, Brightest and Rejected: Elite Colleges Turn Away Up to 95%". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-04-05. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  9. ^ Friedman, Jordan (October 31, 2017). "10 Colleges With the Lowest Acceptance Rates". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2017-11-18. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  10. ^ Tunnell, Amber (2010-04-01). "CC, SEAS '14 more selective than ever". Columbia Daily Spectator. Archived from the original on 2015-05-23. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  11. ^ Hamilton, Grace; Spurr, Cameron; (graphic by) Nair, Diya (2024-03-28). "Columbia admits 2,319 students to class of 2028, acceptance rate drops slightly to 3.85 percent". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  12. JSTOR 3121552
    .
  13. ^ "Faculty House | Columbia Dining".
  14. ^ "The Administration and Faculty of Columbia College < Columbia College | Columbia University". bulletin.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  15. ^ "Board of Visitors". Columbia College Report. 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  16. ^ "Deans of the College". Columbia College. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  17. ^ "Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  18. ^ Columbians Ahead of Their Time. C250.columbia.edu. Retrieved on 2011-09-03.
  19. ^ "Meet the Author of U.S. Constitution's Preamble - US Department of State". 16 March 2008. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  20. ^ Columbia University Nobel Laureates. C250.columbia.edu. Retrieved on 2011-09-03.

External links

American Cyclopædia article Columbia College
.

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