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New Web Site Maps New York's Black History
The launch of a Web-based teaching tool is helping to bring to life African American history in New York City for public school children across the area.
New Web Site Brings African American History to Life
Rosa Parks made her now-famous bus ride more than 50 years ago. Until recently, public school social studies lessons only told part of that history. Now, thanks to Amistad Digital Resource, her story and those of others are being told in their full scope.
Columbia Law School's Civil Rights Legacy
When Jack Greenberg signed up for the Legal Survey class at Columbia Law School in 1946, he had no idea that it was the first step on a path that would lead him straight into the history books.
Q & A with Professor Fredrick C. Harris
Professor Fredrick Harris was involved in race and politics long before he became an expert in the field.
Papers of Prominent Composer Donated to Columbia
The Rare Book & Manuscript Library has acquired a large collection of personal papers and unpublished scores from the estate of composer H. Lawrence Freeman, a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
Innovative Dialysis Initiative Launches in Washington Heights
A Columbia dialysis center will soon begin training patients to perform kidney dialysis at home. The endeavor is part of a growing movement toward home hemodialysis, as the rate of diabetes grows in the United States.
Feb. 27, 2008
Columbia Announces Endowment of
Weston/Black Alumni Council Professorship
Special from The Record
A newly endowed chair in the Arts and Sciences—the first focused on African American studies—is being created with the support of the University’s Black Alumni Council.
 M. Moran Weston
Photo courtesy of Columbia University Archives |
The M. Moran Weston/Black Alumni Council Professorship, named in recognition of Columbia’s first African American trustee, is expected to be formally approved by the University’s Trustees in the spring.
“In addition to its impact on African American studies at Columbia, this chair will strengthen the presence of African American alumni in the life of the University,” said Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. (CC’78), a U.S. District Court judge who championed the effort to establish the chair.
“It’s wonderful to have African American alumni who have a strong connection with both Columbia College and Columbia University investing in the development of African-American Studies,” said Manning Marable, a professor of public affairs and history and the founding director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies.
The Black Alumni Council was formed in the mid-1990s by Columbia College alumni leaders who sought to strengthen links between the College and its African American graduates.
The chair is named in honor of M. Moran Weston (CC'30, GSAS'40, GSAS'69), who was devoted to improving the social condition of thousands in the Harlem community. Weston served as rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church and was also a founder of Carver Federal Savings Bank, the largest independent financial institution in the United States owned by African Americans. The University awarded Weston an honorary degree in sacred theology in 1969, the year he became Columbia’s first African American trustee. Previously named in Weston’s honor are both a lectureship at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and a plaza on the Morningside campus—the latter marking the first public space on campus honoring an African American.
“Columbia was very near and dear to my dad’s heart,” says Gregory Weston (LAW’82), counsel at the law firm of Nixon Peabody LLP. “It was perhaps the most important institution to him throughout his life, and he would be thrilled to be linked in such a meaningful and permanent way to the school that he loved so much.”
Supporters of the new chair include the Garland E. Wood Foundation, established by Garland Wood (CC’65, BUS’72), and a number of other prominent African American alumni, including Gregory Weston; Judge Greenaway; Eric Holder (CC’73 LAW’ 76), an attorney and partner at Covington & Burling; actor and former Microsoft executive Ronald Simons (CC’86, BUS’89); and George Van Amson (CC’74), managing director at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. University Trustees Chair Bill Campbell (CC’62), chairman of Intuit, also is a leading contributor.
This gift counts toward the $4 billion Columbia Campaign, a University-wide effort that was launched in the fall of 2006 and is expected to conclude in 2011. More than $2.64 billion has been raised to date for the campaign.
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