: 3 The college was officially founded on October 31, 1754, as King's College by royal charter of George II, making it the oldest institution of higher learning in the State of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States. Instruction was held in a new schoolhouse adjoining Trinity Church, located on what is now lower Broadway in Manhattan. : 8–10 Johnson was the only instructor of the college's first class, which consisted of a mere eight students. Ĭlasses were initially held in July 1754 and were presided over by the college's first president, Samuel Johnson. In 1751, the assembly appointed a commission of ten New York residents, seven of whom were members of the Church of England, to direct the funds accrued by the state lottery towards the foundation of a college. In 1746, an act was passed by the general assembly of New York to raise funds for the foundation of a new college. However, it was not until the founding of the College of New Jersey (renamed Princeton) across the Hudson River in New Jersey that the City of New York seriously considered founding a college. Main article: History of Columbia University Colonial period Samuel Johnson, the first president of Columbiaĭiscussions regarding the founding of a college in the Province of New York began as early as 1704, at which time Colonel Lewis Morris wrote to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, the missionary arm of the Church of England, persuading the society that New York City was an ideal community in which to establish a college.

presidents 33 foreign heads of state two secretaries-general of the United Nations ten justices of the United States Supreme Court 102 Nobel laureates 125 National Academy of Sciences members 53 living billionaires 22 Olympic medalists 33 Academy Award winners and 125 Pulitzer Prize recipients. Its endowment stands at $13.3 billion as of 2022, among the largest of any academic institution.Ĭolumbia scientists and scholars have played a pivotal role in scientific breakthroughs including brain-computer interface the laser and maser nuclear magnetic resonance the first nuclear pile the first nuclear fission reaction in the Americas the first evidence for plate tectonics and continental drift and much of the initial research and planning for the Manhattan Project during World War II.Īs of December 2021, its alumni, faculty, and staff have included seven Founding Fathers of the United States four U.S. The university also annually administers the Pulitzer Prize. Columbia is a founding member of the Association of American Universities and was the first school in the United States to grant the MD degree. The university's research efforts include the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and accelerator laboratories with Big Tech firms such as Amazon and IBM. In 1896, the campus was moved to its current location in Morningside Heights and renamed Columbia University.Ĭolumbia is organized into twenty schools, including four undergraduate schools and 16 graduate schools. It was renamed Columbia College in 1784 following the American Revolution, and in 1787 was placed under a private board of trustees headed by former students Alexander Hamilton and John Jay.

Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan, it is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest in the United States.Ĭolumbia was established as a colonial college by royal charter under George II of Great Britain. Columbia University, officially titled as Columbia University in the City of New York, is a private Ivy League research university in New York City.

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