News
Emeritus Professors in Columbia (EPIC) is a professional and social fellowship of people who have formally retired from their Columbia careers as university professors, researchers, and administrators but are still professionally active
Columbia University is seeking established Minority, Women and Local Business Enterprises (MWLBE) to apply to be part of the second cohort of CU Grow, a Columbia-initiated program designed to help MWLBE vendors of the University grow their businesses.
The Columbia-Harlem Small Business Development Center hosted a Harlem Buyer Fair to connect local food, body care and gift vendors with buyers from Whole Foods, FreshDirect, Columbia Dining and more. Participating vendors had completed the Harlem Local Vendor Program, a business accelerator program designed to provide local Harlem vendors with the opportunity to exhibit their products for Whole Foods Market foragers/buyers, Columbia University procurement representatives and other program procurement partners.
The Community Wellness Center, located at 610 W. 130th Street in the Greene Science Center, is home to two programs dedicated to empowering the community through mental health and stroke prevention education, along with providing free blood pressure readings, cholesterol screening, and AIC Glucose testing. Programs and services at the Wellness Center are free and available to the public.
The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University announced today that Larry Siems, formerly the Director of Freedom to Write and International Programs at PEN American Center, has joined the Institute as chief of staff. Siems will have a broad role at the Institute, encompassing responsibilities relating to strategic planning, communications, fundraising, management, and administration.
Columbia College has appointed Kecia Hayes, a Teachers College alumna with more than 20 years of education experience, as the new executive director of the Roger Lehecka Double Discovery Center (DDC), a program that works to enhance higher education opportunities for local low-income and first-generation youth ages 12–27. DDC’s academic enrichment program, which serves approximately 1,000 students annually and has become a model for similar programs throughout the United States, focuses on ensuring high school graduation, college enrollment and completion, and responsible adulthood. Hayes will formally begin transitioning into her new role on Monday, January 29 and will be fully on board on Monday, February 19.
In January, Columbia’s Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery will celebrate his life and accomplishments in the first exhibition of objects from his archive, Arthur Mitchell: Harlem’s Ballet Trailblazer. Curated by Lynn Garafola, professor emerita of dance at Barnard College, the exhibition is presented with Columbia’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library, to which Mitchell donated his archive in 2015.
On December 22, Columbia University Facilities and Operations and Skanska joined with Morningside Gardens, Parish Care Ministry, NYPD 26th Precinct, Harlem United, St. Mary’s Harlem, and Morningside Retirement and Health Services to bring “Winter Wonderland” to Riverside Church. Winter Wonderland provided children and families living in transitional housing in West Harlem the opportunity for a festive and fun night out. In addition to music and dancing, children could select wrapped presents ranging from toys and clothing, to homemade gifts. Volunteers served families a homemade dinner while guests were able to enjoy a holiday evening with their families. The successful event brought together many neighborhood organizations and helped support members of the local community.
Dear Mama Coffee, a Harlem-based espresso, cocktail, wine bar and eatery, has signed a lease in the Jerome L. Greene Science Center at Columbia University’s new Manhattanville campus.
Columbia University announced today that Steep Rock Bouldering, a New York City-based indoor climbing facility, will be the first retail tenant at the University’s new Manhattanville campus. The all-bouldering facility will join a Community Wellness Center, an interactive installation about brain research and an Education Lab as part of the civic and retail spaces that will define the street level experience of the campus.
On July 21 at 9:00 a.m, the 39,000-squarefoot Whole Foods Harlem store located on West 125th Street opened its doors to the community with items from 11 local businesses and entrepreneurs—all graduates of the Harlem Local Vendor Program—selected to have their products featured on the shelves. The Harlem Local Vendor Program—a partnership between the Columbia- Harlem Small Business Development Center, Whole Foods Market, Hot Bread Kitchen Incubates, Harlem Park to Park, and others—hopes to develop economic stability and job creation in Upper Manhattan.
Just a year ago, the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, the first completed building of Columbia University’s new Manhattanville campus, became the home of hundreds of the world’s leading researchers and the new home of the Columbia University’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute.
Just months ago Columbia University School of the Arts’s Lenfest Center for the Arts opened its doors as a dynamic new hub for cultural and civic exchange in Upper Manhattan. Featuring four flexible venues and a public plaza, this state-of-the-art facility offers unprecedented opportunities for the presentation and generation of contemporary art across disciplines.
In a message to the campus community, President Lee Bollinger announced that, “following twelve years of exceptional leadership of the University’s Office of Government and Community Affairs, Executive Vice President Maxine Griffith is transitioning into a new role at the University. Maxine will serve as a special advisor to me, with a focus on Columbia World Projects and its engagement with issues around government, city planning, and urban design.” Griffith will also teach at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation as an adjunct professor of urban planning.
The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, which was established in 2016 with a $60 million operating endowment from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Columbia University, is not only a vital and much-needed support for news organizations across the country, but also a fundamental service to all citizens concerned about threats facing freedom of speech, a core pillar of American democracy.