What is the role of Columbia’s research centers and institutes within the larger mission of the college?

Columbia President Warrick L. Carter: I take very seriously the last part of our name: Columbia College Chicago. And that “Chicago” part means we have a responsibility to be actively involved in the culture of the city. That is one of the primary roles of our centers and institutes—through their programming and their scholarship, they reach out into the neighborhoods, into the city, into various parts of the artistic disciplines and even ethnic communities of which we are part, keeping us actively involved in the life of the city.

Each of these entities serves our mission in a different way, from presenting world-class dance, art, or music to supporting research and scholarship that contribute to the cultural discourse. By reaching out to the city with these entities, we also bring the city to us—we bring practitioners and patrons onto our campus, who in turn become valuable resources for our students. Our students are enriched by those experiences. Having these centers and institutes as part of our campus makes us a better place, a richer place. And it breaks down the walls between town and gown.

The Center for Community Arts Partnerships just marked its tenth year at Columbia. For a decade, CCAP has been building meaningful, sustainable partnerships among the college, public schools, and communities through arts-based education. Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media is now five years old, and is clearly having an impact with its work to deepen understanding of how issues related to women, gender, and creativity are shaping policy. The Congo/Women exhibition is opening this fall at the United Nations, and two 2008 Belic Institute Fellows, Lynsey Addario and Lynn Nottage, were awarded Pulitzers this year.

Chicago Jazz Ensemble, in its fifth year under the artistic direction of trumpeter and conductor Jon Faddis, is living its mission “to connect people everywhere to the passion, creativity, joy, and rhythms of big band jazz through outreach, education, and performance.” Dance Center brings in professional companies that not only provide unprecedented cultural experiences for the people of Chicago, but allow our students to spend time in residencies with these world-class artists. Museum of Contemporary Photography is one of only two accredited photography museums in the Midwest, and it draws people onto our campus who might not have known about us otherwise.

All of these centers and institutes—and there are many more than what I’ve mentioned here—serve as connectors to particular elements of our culture. They connect us to the city, and connect the city to our campus. But we also know that our students walk through those exhibits, come to those lectures, volunteer with those entities, attend those performances, and by doing so they gain a different perspective on what it is to be an artist. I think through the work of these centers, we are modeling for our students a great way to look at life through and in the arts.

Columbia College Chicago is home to the following research centers and institutes:

Anchor Graphics
Center for American Places
Center for Asian Arts and Media
Center for Black Music Research
Center for Book and Paper Arts
Center for Community Arts Partnerships
Chicago Jazz Ensemble
Dance Center
Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media
Institute for Science Education and Science Communication
Museum of Contemporary Photography
Sherwood Community Music School