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119-511: The Columbia University Bicentennial was a series of celebrations in 1954 commemorating the 200th anniversary of the founding of Columbia University . Its scale was global, with participation from over 750 domestic and 350 foreign universities, libraries, and museums. In New York City , bicentennial events centered around three convocations in January, June, and October, interspersed with conferences, concerts, and other ceremonies. In order to spread

238-459: A "full-blown crisis" over tensions stemming from a pro-Palestinian campus occupation . These protests at Columbia sparked similar pro-Palestinian protests at universities across the USA. As the protests expanded in scale and notoriety, students and faculty, including people of Jewish heritage, pushed back against the silencing of anti-Zionist voices and accusations of anti-semitism . This sentiment

357-548: A bicentennial concert, performed by the New York Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall on October 26, conducted by Leopold Stokowski . The pieces performed were composed by Columbia music professors and researchers, including Daniel Gregory Mason , Otto Luening , Douglas Moore ( Symphony No. 2 ), Edward MacDowell ( Piano Concerto No. 2 ), and Béla Bartók ( Dance Suite ). The soloist for MacDowell's Piano Concerto No. 2

476-533: A deeper understanding of their rights to knowledge." CBS also showed Invitation to Learning , which hosted a Columbia professor and focused on a different book that exemplified the Bicentennial theme for thirteen weeks beginning on April 4, 1954, as well as Twentieth Century Concert Hall , a classical music program featuring the CBS Radio Chamber Orchestra . New York Album was a quiz show about

595-455: A diverse range of professional and inter-disciplinary fields. In the aftermath of World War II, the discipline of international relations became a major scholarly focus of the university, and in response, the School of International and Public Affairs was founded in 1946, drawing upon the resources of the faculties of political science, economics, and history. The Columbia University Bicentennial

714-412: A dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak ( 104 ) with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest ( 25 ). Columbia Transportation is the bus service of the university, operated by Academy Bus Lines . The buses are open to all Columbia faculty, students, Dodge Fitness Center members, and anyone else who holds a Columbia ID card. In addition, all TSC students can ride the buses. In

833-630: A joint investigation by the NYPD and Columbia, the school concluded that the chemical substance was a "non-toxic, legal, novelty item". On April 17, 2024, Columbia president Minouche Shafik was questioned by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on the topic of antisemitism on campus. While Shafik was in Washington, DC, student activists began renewed protests, leading to what CNN described as

952-631: A major research university. For much of the 19th century, the university consisted of decentralized and separate faculties specializing in Political Science, Philosophy, and Pure Science. In 1979, these faculties were merged into the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences . In 1991, the faculties of Columbia College, the School of General Studies, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of

1071-473: A neighborhood that contains a number of academic institutions. The university owns over 7,800 apartments in Morningside Heights, housing faculty, graduate students, and staff. Almost two dozen undergraduate dormitories (purpose-built or converted) are located on campus or in Morningside Heights. Columbia University has an extensive tunnel system , more than a century old, with the oldest portions predating

1190-588: A performance by the New York Post Office Band, and included speeches by Kirk, New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. , acting Postmaster of New York City John H. Sheehan, and Governor Dewey. Important members of the Columbia administration, in addition to Dewey and Wagner, received souvenir stamp albums from the assistant United States postmaster general, while additional albums were sent to President Eisenhower and Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield . At

1309-578: A pivotal role in scientific breakthroughs including brain–computer interface ; the laser and maser ; nuclear magnetic resonance ; the first nuclear pile ; the first nuclear fission reaction in the Americas ; the first evidence for plate tectonics and continental drift ; and much of the initial research and planning for the Manhattan Project during World War II . As of December 2021 , its alumni, faculty, and staff have included seven of

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1428-544: A revision committee, which was headed by John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. In April of that same year, a new charter was adopted for the college granted the power to a separate board of 24 trustees . For a period in the 1790s, with New York City as the federal and state capital and the country under successive Federalist governments, a revived Columbia thrived under the auspices of Federalists such as Hamilton and Jay. President George Washington and Vice President John Adams , in addition to both houses of Congress attended

1547-564: A separate ceremony in Newark , New Jersey , Governor-elect Robert B. Meyner was also presented with his own album. A special post office substation was set up in Low Memorial Library , where $ 50,000 worth of the stamp was sold on just the first day. The pursuit of knowledge is a natural and innate human instinct. On its satisfaction hang the spiritual health and happiness of mankind; of its frustration come misery, hatred and oppression. It

1666-401: A siege ladder to access the second floor of Hamilton Hall and subsequently removed the demonstrators occupying it, dozens of whom were arrested. The actions taken against the demonstrators by the NYPD in riot armour while clearing Hamilton Hall inspired the rap song 'Hinds Hall' by Macklemore , who described the police as "actors in badges" in the song. In June, the charges against most of

1785-403: A sports and health rehabilitation complex with its own stadium and rest-base for the students, personnel, and university guests in the village of Chernomorka. In all university locations there are cafeterias, cafes, bars, and medical sections. Odesa University has engaged in international cooperation at the regional and global levels for the past 150 years. The university is currently a member of

1904-412: A student application process characterized by The New York Times as "the first modern college application". The application required a photograph of the applicant, the maiden name of the applicant's mother, and the applicant's religious background. Columbia University is an independent, privately supported, nonsectarian and not-for-profit institution of higher education. Its official corporate name

2023-527: Is Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York . In 1754, the university's first charter was granted by King George II ; however, its modern charter was first enacted in 1787 and last amended in 1810 by the New York State Legislature. Odessa University Odesa I. I. Mechnykov National University comprises four institutes, ten faculties, and seven specialized councils. The university

2142-402: Is $ 46,516. In 2015–2016, annual undergraduate tuition at Columbia was $ 50,526 with a total cost of attendance of $ 65,860 (including room and board). The college is need-blind for domestic applicants. On April 11, 2007, Columbia University announced a $ 400 million donation from media billionaire alumnus John Kluge to be used exclusively for undergraduate financial aid. The donation is among

2261-739: Is a third campus on the west bank of the Hudson River , the 157-acre (64 ha) Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and Earth Institute in Palisades , New York. A fourth is the 60-acre (24 ha) Nevis Laboratories in Irvington, New York , for the study of particle and motion physics. A satellite site in Paris holds classes at Reid Hall . In 2006, the university established the Office of Environmental Stewardship to initiate, coordinate and implement programs to reduce

2380-534: Is centered on the front steps of Low Memorial Library . The statue represents a personification of the traditional image of the university as an alma mater , or "nourishing mother", draped in an academic gown and seated on a throne. She wears a laurel wreath on her head and holds in her right hand a scepter capped by a King's Crown, a traditional symbol of the university. A book, representing learning, rests on her lap. The arms of her throne end in lamps, representing "Sapientia et Doctrina", or "Wisdom and Learning"; on

2499-527: Is extremely important. Everything done in your country has great repercussions in the rest of the world and you have made a happy choice of a them for your celebration." On his return, Kirk reported a "sense of urgency" in Europe towards American foreign policy and called for increased cultural collaboration between the United States and the rest of the world. During his trip, 232 institutions agreed to participate in

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2618-635: Is famous for its scientific library , the largest and oldest of any university in Ukraine (3,600,000 volumes, ranging from the 15th century to the present days). Odesa I. I. Mechnykov National University is one of the oldest in Ukraine. It was founded in 1865, when by edict of the Russian Tsar Alexander II the Richelieu Lyceum ( Ukrainian : Рішельєвський ліцей , which had existed in Odesa since 1817)

2737-577: Is ranked fourth overall and second among university hospitals. Columbia's medical school has a strategic partnership with New York State Psychiatric Institute , and is affiliated with 19 other hospitals in the U.S. and four hospitals in other countries. Health-related schools are located at the Columbia University Medical Center , a 20-acre (8.1 ha) campus located in the neighborhood of Washington Heights , fifty blocks uptown. Other teaching hospitals affiliated with Columbia through

2856-707: Is the Henry Hudson Parkway ( NY 9A ) to the west of the campus. It is located 3.4 miles (5.5 km) south of the George Washington Bridge . Columbia University received 60,551 applications for the class of 2025 (entering 2021) and a total of around 2,218 were admitted to the two schools for an overall acceptance rate of 3.66%. Columbia is a racially diverse school, with approximately 52% of all students identifying themselves as persons of color. Additionally, 50% of all undergraduates received grants from Columbia. The average grant size awarded to these students

2975-425: Is the duty and the privilege of the great institutions of learning in every land to offer this gift freely so that those who receive it may use it freely to the common good. Among these institutions Columbia is preeminently fitted to discharge this proud duty. She nourishes scholars of every nation, who on going forth spread ever wider her long tradition of learning, liberty and peace. Winston Churchill , in

3094-557: The Columbia Daily Spectator The first convocation of the year took place on January 11, the birthday of Alexander Hamilton , in Riverside Church . President Kirk and Professor Mark Van Doren spoke at the ceremony, where 44 honorary degrees were awarded to various leaders in education, science, public affairs, law, journalism, philanthropy, religion, music, and the arts. Theresa Helburn , co-founder and executive of

3213-625: The Columbia Daily Spectator . The celebrations ended on January 14 with the annual Alexander Hamilton Award Dinner, held at the Waldorf Astoria . Chief Justice Earl Warren and Mayor Wagner spoke, and the award was presented to District Attorney Frank Hogan . The second convocation was combined with the university's 1954 commencement exercises . A week of festivities began on May 31, the Columbia College Class Day. In

3332-489: The 1952 United States presidential election . A special convocation was held on July 1 in collaboration with Teachers College , in honor of public education. Teachers College President William Fletcher Russell spoke at the ceremony in Low Library, and 20 honorary degrees were conferred upon various educators. A ceremony celebrating the Bicentennial of the college's first class, which occurred several months before Columbia

3451-723: The Academy of Athens . Notably in attendance were two representatives from the Soviet Union: biochemist Andrey Kursanov and historian Boris Rybakov ; their visit was to the United States was the first of its kind since the beginning of the Cold War . Earlier attempts to bring Soviet academics to the United States since the end of World War II had failed, including a 1946 attempt by Princeton to invite several Soviet scholars to their own bicentennial. Though their invitations had been sent by Eisenhower in 1950, they were only accepted several days before

3570-613: The Cathedral of St. John the Divine . Over 8,000 individuals attended, including 105 representatives from 104 foreign universities, ranging from the University of Bologna, the oldest university in continuous operation , having been founded in 1088, to the University of Bihar , which was only founded in 1952. The procession of foreign academics was led by Kyriakos Varvaressos  [ el ] of

3689-571: The Common Application . The policy change made Columbia one of the last major academic institutions and the last Ivy League university to switch to the Common Application. Scholarships are also given to undergraduate students by the admissions committee. Designations include John W. Kluge Scholars, John Jay Scholars, C. Prescott Davis Scholars, Global Scholars, Egleston Scholars, and Science Research Fellows. Named scholars are selected by

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3808-614: The Founding Fathers of the United States of America; four U.S. presidents ; 34 foreign heads of state or government ; two secretaries-general of the United Nations; ten justices of the United States Supreme Court ; 103 Nobel laureates ; 125 National Academy of Sciences members; 53 living billionaires; 23 Olympic medalists ; 33 Academy Award winners ; and 125 Pulitzer Prize recipients. Discussions regarding

3927-628: The Israel–Hamas war , with counter-protests from pro- Israel activists. The students were protesting against the alleged genocide of Palestinians in Gaza by the IDF , with significant faculty support for the protests. Protestors were reported to have yelled “October 7th is going to be every day for you,” toward Jewish students. In January 2024, students who were former IDF soldiers were accused of attacking pro-Palestine demonstrators with noxious chemicals in what

4046-719: The Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory , the Goddard Institute for Space Studies , and accelerator laboratories with Big Tech firms such as Amazon and IBM . Columbia is a founding member of the Association of American Universities and was the first school in the United States to grant the MD degree . The university also administers and annually awards the Pulitzer Prize . Columbia scientists and scholars have played

4165-715: The Lenin State Library , and the State Historical Museum in the Soviet Union , and several others in Czechoslovakia , Poland , and Hungary . Provost Grayson L. Kirk became acting president of the university when Eisenhower took leave to serve as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO in 1951, and would later become president in 1953 upon Eisenhower's resignation. In order to promote

4284-533: The Manhattan Project , creating the first nuclear fission reactor in the Americas and researching gaseous diffusion . In 1928, Seth Low Junior College was established by Columbia University in order to mitigate the number of Jewish applicants to Columbia College. The college was closed in 1936 due to the adverse effects of the Great Depression and its students were subsequently taught at Morningside Heights, although they did not belong to any college but to

4403-546: The New York City Board of Education , Roosevelt University , Toledo Public Library , Virginia State Library , Whitworth University , Worcester Public Library , and the University of Pittsburgh . At each institution, the exhibit would stay for about two weeks before moving on to another. In total, an estimated 900,000 people saw the exhibit at more than 400 locations in the United States and Canada, with an additional 700,000 viewing it at 300 sites abroad. Internationally,

4522-541: The New York City Subway , the [REDACTED] train serves the university at 116th Street-Columbia University . The M4 , M104 and M60 buses stop on Broadway while the M11 stops on Amsterdam Avenue. The main campus is primarily boxed off by the streets of Amsterdam Avenue, Broadway , 114th street, and 120th street, with some buildings, including Barnard College, located just outside the area. The nearest major highway

4641-659: The Sapienza University of Rome each held lecture series on the Bicentennial theme; the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques hosted discussion assemblies; and the Turkish Historical Society and the Bolivian Congress Library made publications in honor of the Bicentennial, while the University of British Columbia set aside a week in 1954 for public meetings, lectures, seminars, and discussions on

4760-560: The School of Journalism created "Newsarama" for WPIX . Other radio and television shows involved in the Bicentennial included the New York Times Youth Forum , whose December 19, 1953, episode involved a conversation between Averell Harriman and six college students on the Bicentennial theme. The anthology series The United States Steel Hour and Hall of Fame , as well as the drama series Robert Montgomery Presents each included episodes that year that were shaped around

4879-648: The Theatre Guild , was the sole female recipient. Other individuals honored included composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II , Canadian Supreme Court Justice Ivan Rand , and Nobel laureate Archibald Hill . On the day of the ceremony, the university received letters of congratulations from Secretary-General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld and former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill . Their messages were published in

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4998-469: The Upper Manhattan neighborhood of Morningside Heights on Seth Low 's late-19th century vision of a university campus where all disciplines could be taught at one location. The campus was designed along Beaux-Arts planning principles by the architects McKim, Mead & White . Columbia's main campus occupies more than six city blocks , or 32 acres (13 ha), in Morningside Heights, New York City,

5117-646: The "Urban Beach", are a popular meeting area for Columbia students. The term refers to the long series of granite steps leading from the lower part of campus (South Field) to its upper terrace. In April 2007, the university purchased more than two-thirds of a 17 acres (6.9 ha) site for a new campus in Manhattanville , an industrial neighborhood to the north of the Morningside Heights campus. Stretching from 125th Street to 133rd Street , Columbia Manhattanville houses buildings for Columbia's Business School, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia School of

5236-523: The Arts , and the School of Professional Studies were merged into the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, leading to the academic integration and centralized governance of these schools. In 2010, the School of International and Public Affairs , which was previously a part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, became an independent faculty. In fall of 2023, pro-Palestine student activists organized protests in response to

5355-724: The Arts, and the Jerome L. Greene Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior, where research will occur on neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The $ 7 billion expansion plan included demolishing all buildings, except three that are historically significant (the Studebaker Building , Prentis Hall , and the Nash Building), eliminating the existing light industry and storage warehouses, and relocating tenants in 132 apartments. Replacing these buildings created 6.8 million square feet (630,000 m ) of space for

5474-594: The Bicentennial Central Committee. On May 15, 1950, he sent letters to 750 institutions of learning, including universities, libraries, and museums, in 58 countries, inviting them to participate in the celebrations. Notably, this included several institutions in the Eastern Bloc , including Moscow State University , Leningrad State University , Odessa State University , the Russian State Museum ,

5593-541: The Bicentennial abroad, he embarked on a three-week tour of Western Europe in December 1952, visiting London , Paris , The Hague , Berlin , Bonn , and Rome . The trip was organized in cooperation with the United States Department of State , which viewed the Bicentennial as a foreign relations opportunity, and invited Kirk to embassy dinners as a guest of honor, where he would address cultural leaders in each of

5712-476: The Bicentennial and its conferences served as important global forums on government, economics, and international affairs, with participation from numerous heads of state , Nobel Prize laureates, and foreign academic officials. With cooperation from the United States Department of State , it played a role in the development of transatlantic relations during the Cold War , while the attendance of two Soviet academics, Andrey Kursanov and Boris Rybakov , signaled

5831-501: The Bicentennial began in 1946, following the bicentennials of Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania , and the tercentenary of Harvard University . The theme of the celebrations, "Man's Right to Knowledge and the Free Use Thereof", was originally proposed by alumnus and The New York Times publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger . In the wake of World War II , the committee of faculty and students charged with planning

5950-789: The Bicentennial include the International Congress on Art History and Museology, held in cooperation with the Metropolitical Museum of Art; "Community Security vs. Man's Right to Knowledge," which was co-sponsored by the American Foreign Law Association, New York City Bar Association , and Fund for the Republic ; and the final annual meeting of the American Physical Society to be held on Columbia's campus, where it had been founded in 1899. A panel exhibit

6069-539: The Bicentennial theme in cooperation with the university. As part of the Bicentennial's educational theme, the university created Man's Right to Knowledge , a series of twenty-six radio lectures which aired weekly on CBS . The series was released in two thirteen-episode parts, the first, titled Man's Right to Knowledge: Tradition and Change , running from January 3 to March 28, the second, titled Man's Right to Knowledge: Present Knowledge and Future Directions , from October 3 to December 26. The final lecture, which marked

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6188-608: The Bicentennial theme. The Bicentennial was celebrated at the University of the Ryukyus during the groundbreaking ceremony for its new library in an address by its founder, Henry Earl Diffenderfer. On June 27, 1954, at a ceremony in Seoul , South Korea , 400 members of the Student Corps to Preserve the Nation gathered at a high school while the fourteen highest performing university students in

6307-502: The Bicentennial. The Metropolitan Museum of Art , where Columbia professors had been lecturing since 1892, opened an exhibit called "American Painting, 1754–1954" in December 1953. The Museum of the City of New York and the New-York Historical Society both opened exhibits on the history of Columbia, featuring photographs, letters, documents, and rare books lent by the university, in January 1954. A National Academy of Design Americana exhibit, "Memorabilia 1800–1900", opened in October and

6426-401: The City of New York , is a private Ivy League research university in New York City . Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan , it is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest in the United States . Columbia was established as a colonial college by royal charter under George II of Great Britain . It

6545-503: The Free Use of Knowledge", and "The Responsibilities of Knowledge". Panels contained quotes, illustrations, and charts, and covered topics including totalitarianism, illiteracy, racial segregation, women's rights, low voter participation, the compulsory recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, and textbook censorship, among other historical controversies. The exhibit was reproduced in either full sets of 60 panels or smaller sets of 25, and were loaned to universities, libraries, and museums across

6664-596: The Imperial Novorossiya University became an important center of science and for training the scientific and educational cadres of the northern Black Sea coastal region. World-famous teachers and scientists have worked at Imperial Novorossiya University during different times of its existence, including the Nobel Prize winner I. I. Mechnykov (after whom the university was later renamed), Professors Ivan Sechenov , A. A. Kovalevskiy , Mykola Hamaliya , N. D. Zelinskiy, Dmitri Mendeleev , physicist G. A. Gamov, mathematician Aleksandr Lyapunov , and others. Through their activities,

6783-601: The Imperial Novorossiya University quickly became one of the centers of the culture of the Ukrainian, Russian, and other peoples dwelling along the northern coast of the Black Sea, and the university began to play an important role in the development of science. The first Rector of the university was Professor I. Y. Sokolov. At different periods of time, the university was headed by Professors P. N. Lebedyev, A. I. Yurzhenko, A. V. Bogatskiy, V. V. Serdyuk, and I. P. Zelinskiy—all prominent specialists in different branches of knowledge. In 2013, The Ukrainian Week stated that members of

6902-411: The Italian invasion of Ethiopia during World War II, as well as Ethiopia's involvement in the Korean War . In return, Selassie gifted the university a hand-written copy of the New Testament in Amharic . Two of his grandsons, Merid and Samson Beyene, attended Columbia at the time. The week ended with a speech by former Governor of Illinois Adlai Stevenson II , whom Eisenhower had recently defeated in

7021-410: The King's College campus at Park Place to a primarily Gothic Revival campus on 49th Street and Madison Avenue , where it remained for the next forty years. During the last half of the 19th century, under the presidency of Frederick A. P. Barnard , for whom Barnard College is named, the institution rapidly assumed the shape of a modern university. Barnard College was created in 1889 as a response to

7140-414: The New York State Assembly Oswald D. Heck each appointed three members of their respective legislative houses . With the exception of Assemblywoman Maude E. Ten Eyck , all members of the committee were Columbia alumni. The United States Commission for the Bicentennial of Columbia University in the City of New York was created by a joint resolution of Congress in August 1953. Eisenhower, as president of

7259-420: The NewYork-Presbyterian network include the Payne Whitney Clinic in Manhattan, and the Payne Whitney Westchester, a psychiatric institute located in White Plains, New York. On the northern tip of Manhattan island (in the neighborhood of Inwood ), Columbia owns the 26-acre (11 ha) Baker Field, which includes the Lawrence A. Wien Stadium as well as facilities for field sports, outdoor track, and tennis. There

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7378-413: The Organization of American States and future President of Colombia Alberto Lleras Camargo , Prime Minister of Belgium Paul-Henri Spaak , Chancellor of West Germany Konrad Adenauer , Vice President and eventual President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , the Queen Mother herself, Secretary-General Hammarskjöld, and finally President Kirk. The convocation took place the next day, Charter Day proper, in

7497-402: The Queen Mother was presented her degree, she received a standing ovation; it was also noted that Adlai Stevenson received vigorous applause, second only to that of the Queen Mother. The Columbia University Bicentennial Conferences were five or six conferences held over 1954 that accompanied each bicentennial convocation in pairs. In line with the structure of the convocation series, the scope of

7616-483: The United States Atomic Energy Commission Lewis Strauss . Additionally, four university presidents were given honorary degrees: Nathan Pusey of Harvard, Alfred Whitney Griswold of Yale, Lewis Webster Jones of Rutgers, and Henry Townley Heald of NYU. On June 2, Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws at a special, private ceremony in the Trustee Room of Low Library. A citation read by President Kirk praised his resistance against

7735-667: The United States and Canada for display. Additionally, the United States Information Agency of Department of State commissioned twelve sets of the exhibition for circulation abroad, spending over $ 16,000. The exhibit began touring the east coast on January 1, 1954. On that day alone, it was recorded that copies of the exhibit opened at Amherst College , the New York City Bar Association , Bates College , Boston Public Library , Chicago Public Library , Colgate University , Elizabeth Public Library , Enoch Pratt Free Library , Evansville College , East Orange Public Library , Iowa State University , Marygrove College , Newark Public Library ,

7854-483: The United States, served as honorary chair, and appointed four of the commission's fifteen members. Vice President Richard Nixon , as President of the Senate , and Speaker of the House Joseph W. Martin Jr. also sat on the committee, and each appointed four other members from the Senate and House of Representatives . In the text of the resolution, the commission was tasked with "extend[ing] appropriate greetings and courtesies to representatives of foreign governments, to

7973-447: The United States. In 1763, Johnson was succeeded in the presidency by Myles Cooper , a graduate of The Queen's College, Oxford , and an ardent Tory . In the charged political climate of the American Revolution , his chief opponent in discussions at the college was an undergraduate of the class of 1777, Alexander Hamilton . The Irish anatomist, Samuel Clossy , was appointed professor of natural philosophy in October 1765 and later

8092-420: The United States. Several buildings on the Morningside Heights campus are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Low Memorial Library , a National Historic Landmark and the centerpiece of the campus, is listed for its architectural significance. Philosophy Hall is listed as the site of the invention of FM radio . Also listed is Pupin Hall , another National Historic Landmark , which houses

8211-411: The admission committee from first-year applicants. According to Columbia, the first four designated scholars "distinguish themselves for their remarkable academic and personal achievements, dynamism, intellectual curiosity, the originality and independence of their thinking, and the diversity that stems from their different cultures and their varied educational experiences". In 1919, Columbia established

8330-469: The back of the throne is embossed an image of the seal of the university . The small hidden owl on the sculpture is also the subject of many Columbia legends, the main legend being that the first student in the freshmen class to find the hidden owl on the statue will be valedictorian, and that any subsequent Columbia male who finds it will marry a Barnard student, given that Barnard is a women's college . "The Steps", alternatively known as "Low Steps" or

8449-867: The beginning of an opening-up of academic relations with the Soviet Union under Nikita Khrushchev . Notable dignitaries who attended the celebrations in New York included President Dwight D. Eisenhower , Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother , First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt , Secretary-General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld , Belgian Prime Minister Paul-Henri Spaak , Chancellor of West Germany Konrad Adenauer , Vice President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , President of Ecuador Galo Plaza , President of Colombia Eduardo Santos , President of Costa Rica Otilio Ulate Blanco , President of Chile Carlos Dávila , and President of Panama Ricardo J. Alfaro . Participants also included cabinet members, ambassadors and United Nations delegates, university presidents, and notable academics. Planning for

8568-404: The celebrations decided to give it a more reflective tone, with a year of scholarly events that would involve institutions worldwide. Special emphasis was placed on using radio and television to spread the message of the Bicentennial. Dwight D. Eisenhower became the president of the university in 1948, and did not alter the original plan upon his accession, appointing Sulzberger as the chair of

8687-535: The celebrations. In March 1953, he addressed delegates from 55 different countries at a United Nations luncheon, asking them to inform their governments of the Columbia bicentennial and its theme. The preparations for the Bicentennial also involved the United States government at the city, state, and federal levels. As part of the university's beautification plans, in August 1953, the Government of New York City ceded to it

8806-530: The college's commencement on May 6, 1789, as a tribute of honor to the many alumni of the school who had been involved in the American Revolution . In November 1813, the college agreed to incorporate its medical school with The College of Physicians and Surgeons, a new school created by the Regents of New York, forming Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons . In 1857, the college moved from

8925-471: The college's first professor of anatomy in 1767. The American Revolutionary War broke out in 1776, and was catastrophic for the operation of King's College, which suspended instruction for eight years beginning in 1776 with the arrival of the Continental Army . The suspension continued through the military occupation of New York City by British troops until their departure in 1783. The college's library

9044-556: The conferences started with the city and eventually expanded to the global scale. The papers presented at the conferences were compiled and published in 1955 in the Columbia University Bicentennial Conference Series. Though the "Responsible Freedom in the Americas" conference was generally excluded from the official series, its papers were published along with the others. Other conferences that met during

9163-467: The convocation, 48 honorary degrees were awarded. Recipients included Nobel laureates Bernardo Houssay , Niels Bohr , and Gabriela Mistral ; college presidents Charles W. Cole of Amherst, John Sloan Dickey of Dartmouth, Victor L. Butterfield of Wesleyan, and James Phinney Baxter III of Williams; in addition to all the speakers at the Charter Day Dinner, Earl Warren, and Adlai Stevenson. When

9282-589: The convocation. During the ceremony, Kursanov and Rybakov refused to wear academic robes , and showed up in suits instead. The visit signaled the beginning of the Khrushchev Thaw following the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953: in 1955, Columbia repaid Kursanov and Rybakov's visit, sending two of their own professors to attend the bicentennial of Moscow State University, and by 1958 the two universities had established an exchange program, in parallel with another program between Harvard and Leningrad State University. At

9401-604: The countries he visited. On the day after each dinner, he held meetings with representatives from regional institutions to help plan their participation in the celebration. Kirk was received well in Europe, where the Bicentennial theme was met with "great sympathy and responsiveness." At a luncheon with officials and students at the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Dutch sociologist Sjoerd Hofstra reportedly told Kirk that "Columbia's bicentennial project

9520-401: The delegates of foreign universities and other foreign learned bodies, and to foreign scholars and other individuals attending the celebrations as guests of Columbia University." The year-long bicentennial celebrations centered around three convocations at the university in January, June, and October 1954, which each focused on Columbia's relationship with New York City, the United States, and

9639-463: The end of the Bicentennial, was delivered by J. Robert Oppenheimer in his first public appearance since he had been stripped of his government security clearance in June. The series was translated and rebroadcast across the world, and won a 1954 Peabody Award for its "unprecedented impact", and the way it "stimulated a crusade for free inquiry and free expression—and helped to give to millions of individuals

9758-400: The entire university community" and was carried out by both faculty and students. The task force on anti-semitism was criticised by a group of 24 Jewish faculty (as well as 16 non-Jewish faculty) and Jewish students for misrepresentations, omission of key context and equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism. The majority of Columbia's graduate and undergraduate studies are conducted in

9877-500: The evening, President Eisenhower addressed some 1,800 alumni, faculty, and guests at the Waldorf Astoria. The convocation itself was held the next day in front of Low Library. At the ceremony, 6,400 graduating Columbia students received their diplomas, in addition to 33 honorary degree recipients. Among those honored were Secretary of State John Foster Dulles ; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Oveta Culp Hobby ; and Chair of

9996-479: The fall of 1983, after a decade of failed negotiations with Barnard College , the all-female institution affiliated with the university, to merge the two schools. Barnard College still remains affiliated with Columbia, and all Barnard graduates are issued diplomas signed by the presidents of Columbia University and Barnard College. During the late 20th century, the university underwent significant academic, structural, and administrative changes as it developed into

10115-559: The founding of a college in the Province of New York began as early as 1704. Classes were initially held in July 1754 and were presided over by the college's first president, Samuel Johnson . The college was officially founded on October 31, 1754, as King's College by royal charter of George II , making it the oldest institution of higher learning in the State of New York and the fifth oldest in

10234-728: The history of New York City, co-sponsored by the Columbia Center for Mass Communication and WNBC . Its questions were based on The Columbia Historical Portrait of New York , which was published in 1953 in preparation for the Bicentennial. It aired on December 19, 1953, and lasted thirteen weeks. Through the Iron Curtain , produced by the Harriman Institute , aired each Wednesday on ABC . Individual schools at Columbia also sponsored their own programs: Teachers College created "Camera on Citizenship" and "Schools at Work" for WNET , while

10353-473: The interim provost Dennis Mitchell said was “what appears to have been serious crimes, possibly hate crimes”. One of the students suspected in the attack was initially placed on interim suspension before later being suspended through May 2025. In April 2024, the suspended student sued Columbia, alleging that the school subjected him to "biased misconduct proceedings" and that he had used fart sprays such as " Liquid Ass " rather than harmful chemicals. Following

10472-463: The largest single gifts to higher education. However, this does not apply to international students, transfer students, visiting students, or students in the School of General Studies. In the fall of 2010, admission to Columbia's undergraduate colleges Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (also known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering) began accepting

10591-512: The multiversity model that later universities would adopt. Prior to becoming the president of Columbia University, Butler founded Teachers College , as a school to prepare home economists and manual art teachers for the children of the poor, with philanthropist Grace Hoadley Dodge . Teachers College is currently affiliated as the university's Graduate School of Education. In the 1940s, faculty members, including John R. Dunning , I. I. Rabi , Enrico Fermi , and Polykarp Kusch , began what became

10710-626: The nation read papers on Bicentennial theme; speakers at the event included Vice President of Seoul National University I. S. Yun, Professor Lim Han Yung of Chosun Christian College , Professor Kim Jun Sup of SNU, and Lee Choong Nan of Ewha Womans University . Thirty Columbia alumni were in attendance, including four members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and President of Ehwa Womans University Helen Kim . Several museums in New York City also held special exhibits to celebrate

10829-523: The new Republic, the legislature stipulated that "the College within the City of New York heretofore called King's College be forever hereafter called and known by the name of Columbia College ", a reference to Columbia , an alternative name for America which in turn comes from the name of Christopher Columbus . The Regents finally became aware of the college's defective constitution in February 1787 and appointed

10948-522: The panel exhibit met with some controversy. In one noted instance, the Belfast Telegraph reported that the display at Trinity College Dublin had three of its panels removed shortly after the exhibition opened, including one featuring a quotation from the Library Bill of Rights . From its planning stages all the way up to October 1954, the Columbia bicentennial received extensive media coverage. It

11067-428: The participants in the occupation of Hamilton Hall were dropped. In mid-August 2024, three deans and Minouche Shafik , the 20th president of the university, resigned in the wake of the campus protests. In late August, the university's antisemitism task force reported that the university had failed to prevent violence and hate or protect Jews in the university . According to the report, antisemitism has "affected

11186-598: The physics and astronomy departments. Here the first experiments on the fission of uranium were conducted by Enrico Fermi . The uranium atom was split there ten days after the world's first atom-splitting in Copenhagen , Denmark. Other buildings listed include Casa Italiana , the Delta Psi, Alpha Chapter building of St. Anthony Hall , Earl Hall , and the buildings of the affiliated Union Theological Seminary . A statue by sculptor Daniel Chester French called Alma Mater

11305-515: The portion of West 116th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue that bisected its campus in exchange for a token payment of $ 1,000, unifying the campus. Meanwhile, the Government of the State of New York and the U.S. federal government both created committees to congratulate the university and represent themselves at the celebrations. Each committee was composed of representatives from each branch of government. The New York legislative committee

11424-536: The present campus. Some of these remain accessible to the public, while others have been cordoned off. Butler Library is the largest in the Columbia University Libraries system and one of the largest buildings on the campus. It was completed in 1934 and renamed to Butler Library in 1946. As of 2020 , Columbia's library system includes over 15.0 million volumes, making it the eighth largest library system and fifth largest collegiate library system in

11543-574: The right to appropriate private property for public use. On May 20, 2009, the New York State Public Authorities Control Board approved the Manhanttanville expansion plan. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is affiliated with the medical schools of both Columbia University and Cornell University . According to U.S. News & World Report ' s "2020–21 Best Hospitals Honor Roll and Medical Specialties Rankings", it

11662-405: The speech in the crowd. A fictional roll-call for the first class at Columbia, which had just eight students, was then held, with some of the students' descendants in the audience. After the reenactment, a plaque on the church's north wall commemorating the founding of the university was unveiled. The third convocation took place on the university's annual Charter Day, October 31. It was preceded by

11781-609: The theme of the Bicentennial, "Man's Right to Knowledge and the Free Use Thereof", across the United States, the university created several network television and radio shows, including the Peabody Award -winning series Man's Right to Knowledge . The celebrations received heavy media coverage, both in the United States and abroad. Held several miles away from the United Nations Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan ,

11900-402: The theme, while the documentary series See It Now created an episode on communism and free speech in the spirit of the Bicentennial. In total, over 750 domestic and 350 foreign institutions participated in the Bicentennial, either through participation in events in New York City, or through engagement with the Bicentennial on their own campuses. Chatham House , the University of Malta , and

12019-547: The university at large. There was an evening school called University Extension, which taught night classes, for a fee, to anyone willing to attend. In 1947, the program was reorganized as an undergraduate college and designated the School of General Studies in response to the return of GIs after World War II . In 1995, the School of General Studies was again reorganized as a full-fledged liberal arts college for non-traditional students (those who have had an academic break of one year or more, or are pursuing dual-degrees) and

12138-582: The university staff were openly Ukrainophobic . The university is situated in two parts of the city and occupies about 70 hectares. It is divided into a number of faculties that are directly administered by the university. The university consists of ten faculties, four institutes, one college, two "preparatory departments" for citizens of Ukraine and foreign countries, 15 scientific-research laboratories, five scientific institutes, administration departments, experimental training shops, and nine dormitories for students, post-graduates, and trainees. The university has

12257-479: The university was founded in 1754. The Bicentennial officially began on January 4, 1954, with the first issuing of the commemorative 3-cent Columbia University Bicentennial stamp by the United States Postal Service . Columbia was the second university in the United States to receive postal tribute, after Washington and Lee University . The ceremony marking the beginning of the celebrations opened with

12376-564: The university's environmental footprint. The U.S. Green Building Council selected the university's Manhattanville plan for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Neighborhood Design pilot program. Columbia has been rated "B+" by the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card for its environmental and sustainability initiatives. According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Columbia University would have

12495-409: The university's refusal to accept women. In 1896, university president Seth Low moved the campus from 49th Street to its present location, a more spacious campus in the developing neighborhood of Morningside Heights . Under the leadership of Low's successor, Nicholas Murray Butler , who served for over four decades, Columbia rapidly became the nation's major institution for research, setting

12614-499: The university. Community activist groups in West Harlem fought the expansion for reasons ranging from property protection and fair exchange for land, to residents' rights. Subsequent public hearings drew neighborhood opposition. As of December 2008 , the State of New York's Empire State Development Corporation approved use of eminent domain, which, through declaration of Manhattanville's "blighted" status, gives governmental bodies

12733-487: The world, respectively. Each convocation was accompanied with two academic conferences. The celebrations in New York saw the participation of at least 104 foreign academic institutions, as well as several heads of state. Events also occurred in July, including a special convocation celebration public education held on July 1, and a celebration of the anniversary of the first class taught at the university at Trinity Church , where

12852-556: Was based on the Bicentennial theme, showing depictions of events such as the burning Joan of Arc or women voting for the first time to illustrate "the conflict between truth and error" and "the inclusiveness of man without distinction of sex," and works such as The Races of Mankind by Malvina Hoffman , which interrogated questions of race. 40°48′27″N 73°57′43″W  /  40.80750°N 73.96194°W  / 40.80750; -73.96194 Columbia University Columbia University , officially Columbia University in

12971-474: Was celebrated in 1954. During the 1960s, student activism reached a climax with protests in the spring of 1968 , when hundreds of students occupied buildings on campus. The incident forced the resignation of Columbia's president, Grayson Kirk , and the establishment of the University Senate. Though several schools in the university had admitted women for years, Columbia College first admitted women in

13090-408: Was covered particularly in depth by The New York Times , whose publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger played an integral role in its organization. From November 1953 to March 1954, the event was covered on over 150 local and network radio and TV shows, such as WNYC , which agreed to make weekly reports on the Bicentennial. Several networks also directly participated in the celebrations, airing media based on

13209-486: Was created by the Columbia University Libraries to encourage engagement with the Bicentennial theme libraries across the country. It was designed by an exhibit committee, which included the historians Henry Steele Commager and Allan Nevins , and with input from university faculty. The exhibit consisted of 60 panels, each one centering around one of five sub-themes: "The Inclusiveness of Man", "The Value of Knowledge", "The Aspects of Man's Right to Knowledge", "Man's Right to

13328-515: Was created in February 1953, and consisted of nine members. Governor Thomas E. Dewey , himself an alumnus of Columbia Law School , appointed Chairman of the State Crime Commission Joseph M. Proskauer to lead the commission, in addition to District Attorney Frank Hogan and Elliott V. Bell , the chairman of the executive committee of The McGraw-Hill Publishing Company , while Senate Majority Leader Walter J. Mahoney and Speaker of

13447-516: Was fully integrated into Columbia's traditional undergraduate curriculum. The same year, the Division of Special Programs, later called the School of Continuing Education and now the School of Professional Studies , was established to reprise the former role of University Extension. While the School of Professional Studies only offered non-degree programs for lifelong learners and high school students in its earliest stages, it now offers degree programs in

13566-519: Was issued its charter, was held in front of Trinity Church on July 16. The actual date of the anniversary was on July 17, but the event was pushed forward one day to avoid holding it on a Saturday. The ceremony involved a reenactment of the school's opening: Dean Harry Carman , as Samuel Johnson , delivered an address based on Johnson's original June 3, 1754, advertisement for the school in The New-York Mercury , while fake newsboys hawked copies of

13685-667: Was later repeated in an open letter by Columbia faculty that criticized the findings of the university's antisemitism task force. On April 22, 2024 the university moved all in-person classes online, with President Shafik saying that this decision would "deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps". In late April, several participants in the campus encampment occupied Hamilton Hall . While inside, these protestors overturned furniture, broke windows, and erected barricades. On April 30, Columbia University called New York Police Department to clear Hamilton Hall. Around 9 PM that night, NYPD officers in riot gear used

13804-425: Was looted and its sole building requisitioned for use as a military hospital first by American and then British forces. The legislature agreed to assist the college, and on May 1, 1784, it passed "an Act for granting certain privileges to the College heretofore called King's College". The Act created a board of regents to oversee the resuscitation of King's College, and, in an effort to demonstrate its support for

13923-469: Was recent alumnus Gary Graffman . The annual Charter Day Dinner was held on October 30 at the Waldorf Astoria, with Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother as the event's guest of honor. The speakers at the dinner were Arthur Hays Sulzberger, U.S. Ambassador at Large Philip Jessup , French Director General of Higher Education Pierre Donzelot  [ fr ] , Rector of the University of Bologna Felice Battaglia  [ it ] , Secretary General of

14042-519: Was renamed Columbia College in 1784 following the American Revolution , and in 1787 was placed under a private board of trustees headed by former students Alexander Hamilton and John Jay . In 1896, the campus was moved to its current location in Morningside Heights and renamed Columbia University. Columbia is organized into twenty schools, including four undergraduate schools and 16 graduate schools. The university's research efforts include

14161-473: Was reorganized into the Imperial Novorossiya (New Russia) University. All academic and scientific life of the university—from the day of its foundation—was directed by the statute of 1863 that formed the liberal-democratic tradition of the higher institution which has been preserved in spite of all the disturbances in the social and political life of the country. From the very first years of its existence,

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