Annual Report 2010 | 2011 - Columbia Global Centers

Letter from the Director
Dear friends,
This year has been a particularly exciting one for the Columbia Global Centers | Middle East. We have expanded
the variety and deepened the scope of our programming in significant ways. From the beginning, the incredible
confidence and drive of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and her support of Columbia’s strong commitment
and global perspective under the visionary leadership of President Lee Bollinger have continued to enrich our
activities, programs, and plans. This year has also marked our close engagement in the development of the network
of Columbia Global Centers, whose potential is just beginning to crystallize.
We have worked to join the resources, skills, and opportunities of the Columbia community with those of local
and regional partners in mutually beneficial ways, and have sought to create a higher order of possibility in these
new partnerships that cross both disciplines and regional boundaries.
Looking ahead, our priorities are to intensify our undergraduate programming, expand our regional scope, and
generate cross-cutting and innovative projects with our sister centers in Paris, Mumbai, Beijing, Istanbul, Nairobi
and Santiago. The Center is also well positioned for engagement in the study and analysis of events that have swept
the region, and has embarked on a process of capacity building and leveraging opportunities for partnership geared
toward the advancement of scholarship on new developments in the Middle East.
We are deeply indebted to our hosts, donors, and partners, and look forward to the network and Center’s further
development and impact with your continued support.
Sincerely,
Professor Safwan M. Masri
Director, Columbia Global Centers | Middle East
Chair, Columbia Global Centers Director Group
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