Annual Report 2010 | 2011 - Columbia Global Centers

A sampling of programs and projects from the various Global Centers is featured below:
Columbia Global Centers | East Asia
The Columbia Global Centers | East Asia recently co-organized the third annual Summer Palace Dialogue
(SPD), in conjunction with Chinese Economists 50 Forum, a highly regarded Chinese organization,
considered by many as China’s economic “dream team.” SPD brings together a group of leading American
and Chinese economists to foster a new type of discussion regarding economic cooperation between the two
largest economies in the world.
The Urban China Initiative (UCI) is a think-tank that aims to find and implement effective solutions to
China’s urbanization challenge. It is a joint initiative whose research will be led by three major founding
institutions: Columbia University, Tsinghua University’s School of Public Policy and Management, and
McKinsey & Company. The Columbia Global Centers | East Asia provides additional support to the Initiative’s
operations. UCI also pursues knowledge initiatives with the goal of developing solutions that can be applied
across hundreds of cities in China. The Urban Sustainability Index (USI), the first-ever index for measuring
and comparing urban sustainability across China, is an example of the type of research that the Initiative
will undertake.
In partnership with the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University and School of International
Studies at Renmin University of China, the Beijing Center co-organized a three-part lecture series in October
entitled, “China and Its Neighbors: From Pyongyang to Kabul”. The purpose of the lecture series is to share
perspectives on the international relations between China and its neighbors including North Korea, Mongolia
and Afghanistan.
Columbia Global Centers | Europe
Working closely with the School of the Arts, the Columbia Global Centers | Europe offers coursework on
French theater in Paris. Classes feature behind-the-scenes access to the local theater scene.
In conjunction with the Paris Center, Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health has established a formal
relationship with the Association of the Schools of Public Health in the European Region that facilitates an
exchange between faculties and students, and promotes partnerships in public health education, research,
and practice.
The Columbia-Paris Alliance Program, founded in 2002, is a unique joint venture with Ecole Polytechnique,
Sciences Po, and the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, and is supported by the French Ministry of
Foreign Affairs for its exemplary transatlantic collaboration. Some 200 students have benefited from dual- and
joint-degree programs offered by the Alliance in diverse fields including international relations, journalism,
art history, law, African studies, and sustainable development. Each year, the Alliance organizes as many as
50 conferences in New York and Paris on a wide range of academic subjects and public issues.