University Trustees gathered at Columbia Global Centers | Paris in early March for a retreat focused on Columbia’s current and future global engagement. This was the first board meeting President Lee Bollinger and the Trustees ever held outside the US. (At left: Chair Jonathan Schiller ’69CC, ’73LAW).

Trustees and faculty discussed existing and proposed global initiatives. Global Center sessions focused on how the student and faculty experience is being enhanced, including access to transformative research opportunities.

In one session, Jordanian teachers spoke eloquently about a Columbia Global Centers | Amman program which provides opportunities for Teachers College faculty members and teachers from an independent Jordanian institute to connect through ongoing workshops designed to improve skills across the region in science, English, math, leadership, and environmental studies.

On March 4, President Lee C. Bollinger, Trustees Chair Jonathan Schiller, and Trustee Claire Shipman ’86CC, ’94IA shared news about Global Columbia with more than 135 alumni, donors, and friends at the Musée d’Orsay.

“This was a chance for our Trustees to get a deeper understanding of the great progress we are making in the global arena; it also provided a rare opportunity for our donors, alumni leaders, and friends in Europe to hear firsthand from our President and Trustees about these exciting developments,” said Amelia J. Alverson, executive vice president for University development and alumni relations.