Strategic Plan

Goal 1: Student Success

Columbia Students DancingPhoto: Jessi Zambrano '14

All higher education institutions want their students to graduate and succeed, but we have bigger ambitions. We expect and empower our students to define their own success and create careers that are meaningful to them. From admission to commencement and beyond, an education at Columbia goes beyond the classroom. That’s why we’re strengthening our operations so we can provide exceptional student support services such as internship and career placement; premium campus spaces to explore their work and engage in collaborative projects; and comprehensive personal, academic and career advising.

Columbia launched three major initiatives in the 2015-16 academic year to strengthen the student experience while preparing students for professional success:

1) A collaborative process resulted in planned programming for a new Student Center (planned for Fall 2018.) Twenty-seven groups, including 18 student organizations, shared their ideas and hopes in “Dream Out Loud” sessions. The result is a student center that will provide greater support for collaborating across disciplines and showcasing more student work.

2) A new Career Center was launched to provide students with more resources, guidance and career opportunities by forging Student Employment, Internship Coordinators and the Portfolio Center together.

3) Columbia’s new Internship Award funds students who take unpaid internships. Recognizing that unpaid internships can limit opportunities for many students, the college committed to assisting them each with $2,500 stipends. This year, more than 50 students received a stipend for professional internships.

Additional enhancements in 2015-16 included strengthened support in student counseling, a summer alumni residency program and student art spaces. More information on all initiatives include:

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