Office of the President, Lee C. BollingerPresident's Task Force on Undergraduate Education October 18, 2006 Dear fellow member of the Columbia community, Columbia has some of the finest undergraduate programs in the world. The educational experience we provide students is properly noted for many things, most especially the Core Curriculum and the dedication of our faculty to teaching undergraduates. Every decade or so, we must reflect on what we are doing well and consider opportunities for improvement of this essential part of our intellectual community. It is for this reason that I write to inform you of the Task Force for Undergraduate Education that will be convening throughout this academic year. The task force will review a number of broad aspects of our undergraduate education, including how well our curriculum serves the rapidly changing needs of an increasingly globalized world -- a world that will require precisely the combination of highly specialized knowledge and broad general learning to which Columbia has long been committed. We will also explore the balance of general education and disciplinary specialization, interdisciplinary learning, and ways we can continue to take advantage of our location in New York City. Task force members are representative of our undergraduate community. In our early meetings, we will identify ways in which students, alumni, and other members of the Columbia community can be involved. I am eager for all of us to learn from the collective expertise and experience that this task force brings to our work together. I look forward to sharing with you our progress and ways we can continue to excel in undergraduate education. Sincerely, Lee C. Bollinger - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Members:
Alfred V. Aho
Paul J. Anderer
Peter Awn
Elizabeth Boylan
Alan Brinkley
Andrew Delbanco
George Deodatis
Nicholas B. Dirks
Geraldine Downey
Stuart J. Firestein
Morton B. Friedman
Robert D. Friedman
Zvi Galil
Steven Gregory
Patricia E. Grieve
Robert E. Harrist
Jean E. Howard
Martha C. Howell
Ira Katznelson
Andrew F. Laine
George E. Lewis
Claudio W. Lomnitz
Ann E. McDermott
Christia Mercer
Andrew J. Millis
Vijay Modi
Shahid Naeem
Susan G. Pedersen
Sheldon Pollock
Austin E. Quigley
Elaine Sisman |