Columbia Global: Where Thinking Meets Doing

Columbia Global is a new initiative that marshals the totality of the University's resources to tackle complex global problems and gather diverse actors for meaningful exchange. How? Through innovative scholarship and programs, leadership training, pioneering research, and projects that bring the needs of societies into the heart of academia. The ambition is bold—to reimagine the role of a university in society as both a nexus of intellectual exploration and as a catalyst for change. Columbia Global is where conversations start, ideas are shared, and where thinking meets doing.

Reimagining the University’s Role as a Catalyst for Impact Globally

Cultivating Future Leaders

"The [Obama Scholars Program] gave me a framework for difficult decision-making. This broadened my thinking and decision-making as a public official. I feel confident about all the difficult decisions I make as the Secretary of the Interior and Coexistence of Cartagena, with the backing of what I learned in the program." — Ana Maria Gonzalez-Forero, '18-'19

Columbia Global is dedicated to providing opportunities for students and emerging leaders to become the next generation of social impact leaders. The Obama Scholars Program offers emerging leaders immersive education, mentorship, and skills-development opportunities to equip them with the tools to accelerate impact in their communities. Columbia Global’s Social Impact Fellowship provides students with the opportunity to explore their interests in tackling complex societal challenges via skills-building, site visits, and conversations with social impact leaders.

Supporting Displaced Students and Scholars

"As an Afghan refugee in Pakistan, I never dreamed that I would graduate with my master’s. Thanks to the Columbia University Scholarship for Displaced Students, I was able to [fulfill a childhood dream]." — Shabnam Fayyaz '22GSAS

The UN estimates that over 117 million people have been displaced from their homes due to human rights violations. The Columbia University Scholarship for Displaced Students provides displaced students with the opportunity to pursue higher education at Columbia. Additionally, the Columbia Global Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program provides opportunities for displaced early-career scholars to support their reintegration into and growth in academia.

Columbia Global

“Our aspirations are great, and we believe that they are possible with the right people at the table — thinkers and doers from inside and outside academia and all around the world.” - Wafaa El-Sadr, Executive Vice President, Columbia Global

Columbia Global brings together major global initiatives from across the University to advance knowledge and foster global engagement. Those initiatives include the Columbia Global Centers, Columbia World Projects, the Committee on Global Thought, and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination.

Our mission is to address complex global challenges through groundbreaking scholarly pursuits, leadership development, cutting-edge research, and projects that aim for social impact.