Columbia University
On the 31st of October 1754, King George II issued a royal charter establishing King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan. Samuel Johnson served as the institution's first president and an Anglican priest who presided over classes beginning that July. The college became the oldest institution of higher learning in New York State and the fifth oldest in the United States. Discussions regarding founding a college in the Province of New York had begun as early as 1704. Classes were initially held in July 1754 under Johnson's leadership before the official charter arrived later that year.
The American Revolutionary War broke out in 1776 and caused catastrophic disruption to King's College operations. Instruction suspended for eight years starting with the arrival of the Continental Army. The suspension continued through British military occupation of New York City until their departure in 1783. The college library was looted while its sole building became a military hospital used by both American and British forces. On the 1st of May 1784, the legislature passed an act renaming the institution Columbia College to honor the new Republic. A board of regents oversaw resuscitation efforts while former students Alexander Hamilton and John Jay led revision committees in February 1787.
In 1896, university president Seth Low moved the campus from 49th Street to Morningside Heights where it remains today. The new location offered more space within a developing neighborhood of Upper Manhattan. Architects McKim, Mead & White designed the campus along Beaux-Arts planning principles covering over six city blocks. Lee C. Bollinger launched the Manhattanville expansion project beginning April 2007 to address growing space needs. This $7 billion plan included demolishing existing buildings except three historically significant structures: the Studebaker Building, Prentis Hall, and the Nash Building. State approval came June 2009 after declaring Manhattanville blighted status allowing eminent domain use. Major gifts funded progress including $400 million from John Kluge upon his death and $50 million from the Vagelos family for medical center development.
Columbia scientists achieved the first nuclear fission reaction in the Americas at Pupin Hall ten days after experiments in Copenhagen Denmark. Enrico Fermi conducted uranium atom splitting there while Polykarp Kusch worked on magnetic resonance research. Edwin Howard Armstrong developed FM radio technology which became Columbia's birthplace invention. The university also pioneered brain-computer interface capabilities translating neural signals into speech. Martin Chalfie introduced Green Fluorescent Protein labeling cells in intact organisms for biological research. Over 175 new health science inventions emerged annually with more than thirty pharmaceutical products reaching markets including Remicade for arthritis and Xalatan for glaucoma treatment. Patent deals earned over $230 million during fiscal year 2006 surpassing any other university globally.
The university has produced five Founding Fathers of the United States including Alexander Hamilton who opposed Tory president Myles Cooper during revolutionary times. Three U.S. presidents attended Columbia: Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Barack Obama. Ten Supreme Court justices graduated from the institution including Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayoy. Nobel laureates include Eric Kandel for neuroscience work and Richard Axel alongside Linda Buck for medicine discoveries. Business leaders like Warren Buffett and James P. Gorman of Morgan Stanley shaped Wall Street through their education here. Artists such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg founded Beat Generation literature while composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II created enduring musical theater works. Film industry figures won forty-three Academy Awards collectively including Sidney Lumet directing twelve angry men and Kathryn Bigelow making Hurt Locker.
Hundreds of students occupied campus buildings in spring 1968 forcing resignation of president Grayson Kirk and establishing University Senate governance. Columbia College first admitted women in fall 1983 after failed merger negotiations with Barnard College over a decade. In April 2024 police cleared Gaza Solidarity Encampment leading to student disciplinary measures and resignations of two university presidents Minouche Shafik and Katrina Armstrong. Federal government investigations into antisemitism prompted adoption of stricter campus policies including IHRA definition implementation. July 2025 saw finalization of $220 million settlement resuming federal funding without admitting wrongdoing. The university ranked bottom tier nationally in free speech rankings during 2024-2025 academic years receiving D grades from Anti-Defamation League on campus antisemitism report cards launched spring 2024.
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Common questions
When was Columbia University founded and by whom?
King George II issued a royal charter establishing King's College on the 31st of October 1754. Samuel Johnson served as the institution's first president and an Anglican priest who presided over classes beginning that July.
Why did King's College change its name to Columbia College?
The legislature passed an act renaming the institution Columbia College on the 1st of May 1784 to honor the new Republic after the American Revolutionary War caused catastrophic disruption to operations. Instruction had suspended for eight years starting with the arrival of the Continental Army in 1776.
Where is the main campus of Columbia University located today?
University president Seth Low moved the campus from 49th Street to Morningside Heights where it remains today in 1896. Architects McKim, Mead & White designed the campus along Beaux-Arts planning principles covering over six city blocks.
What major scientific inventions originated at Columbia University?
Columbia scientists achieved the first nuclear fission reaction in the Americas at Pupin Hall ten days after experiments in Copenhagen Denmark. Edwin Howard Armstrong developed FM radio technology which became Columbia's birthplace invention while Martin Chalfie introduced Green Fluorescent Protein labeling cells in intact organisms for biological research.
Which U.S. presidents attended Columbia University?
Three U.S. presidents attended Columbia: Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Barack Obama. The university has also produced five Founding Fathers of the United States including Alexander Hamilton who opposed Tory president Myles Cooper during revolutionary times.