It is an extraordinary time for Columbia Business School. As you no doubt have heard, in October Henry Kravis ’69 announced his pledge to give $100 million to the School in support of its new facilities, which will be part of Columbia University’s expansion into Manhattanville, just north of the University’s Morningside Campus.
“The School’s move to Manhattanville has never been about bricks and mortar, but rather people and ideas. ”
The School’s move to Manhattanville has never been about bricks and mortar, but rather people and ideas. It is an opportunity to change the way we teach and conduct research to more closely reflect the culture of business, which has evolved away from the functional hierarchies of the past in favor of more horizontal, collaborative models. Our new facilities, which will be designed by Elizabeth Diller of the renowned architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, will provide space in which teaching and learning can be both experiential and cross-disciplinary. At the same time, the building design will have as its guiding principle the goal of fostering a strong sense of community, in which students, faculty members, alumni, and practitioners can interact and exchange ideas.
Several recent HERMES stories celebrate the vital, diverse voices that make up our global community. Read about Justine Zinkin ’02, an alumna whose ultimate mission is nothing short of changing the banking industry; students and faculty members who are strengthening small businesses and nonprofit organizations in New York City and beyond; and provocative new research by Professor Ran Kivetz and Anat Keinan, PhD ’07, that sheds light on why people stand out in the cold at Times Square on New Year’s Eve).
The School’s move to Manhattanville is an enormous undertaking — and the School’s greatest investment to date. The School’s Board of Overseers, particularly cochairs Henry Kravis ’69, Art Samberg ’67, recent cochair Russ Carson ’67, and Jerry Speyer ’64, as well as a “campaign cabinet” of devoted alumni volunteers, have provided generous guidance and strategic support. I thank you for your continued support of Columbia Business School.