As part of the University's celebration and sponsorship of Harlem Week 2021, Shailagh Murray, Executive Vice President for Public Affairs is taking us on a tour of Columbia's Manhattanville campus. The video tour entails Murray with some of the people at the center of a campus that is becoming a beacon for what Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger calls “The Fourth Purpose” of universities: to bridge knowledge with action.
Starting off the tour Murray meets with Dean Costis Maglaras of the Columbia Business School on the construction site of the school's new home that will span approximately 492,000 square feet across two buildings. The two new facilities will create multifunctional spaces that foster a sense of community, spaces where students, faculty, alumni, neighbors and practitioners can gather to exchange ideas. Between the two buildings will be the largest planned open area, an approximately 40,000-square-foot public space known as The Square.
Next, Orin Herskowitz, SVP of Intellectual Property and Tech Transfer talks about how the 1-train research corridor with Columbia University, City College, Advance Science Research Center, New York Structural Biology Center, and an increasing number of start-up incubators, many housed at Mink, Malt and Taystee buildings. Building upon that, Kaaryn Simmons, Director of the Columbia-Harlem Small Business Development Center (CHSBDC) shares how the center has 3260 small local businesses, to invest 114 million and create or save nearly 5000 jobs. The CHSBDC has helped hundreds of small businesses to remain resilient throughout the pandemic through coaching, loans, consulting, and other support services.
Lastly, Murray speaks with Olajide A. Williams, Co-Director of the Wellness Center that provides health resources to area residents. At the center, ColumbiaDoctors host community-based initiatives that train members of the Harlem community to become health advocates to prevent stroke and promote mental health. A number of services are also offered at the center, including free cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, health insurance enrollment, weight counseling, and more.
Watch the full video on Youtube or click play below.
