Page 39 - Columbia College Chicago Student Handbook 2024-2025

coursework in education, broadcasting, and dramatic arts. The school left this partnership in 1944 with a revised name, Columbia College, and Norman Alexandroff as president, adding new disciplines that returning WWII veterans wished to study: television, advertising, film, and business. In 1961, Mirron (Mike) Alexandroff served as president, evolving the curriculum into a liberal arts foundation and a progressive social agenda. He added new programs to enhance the diverse arts and media fields already taught at the college. Columbia was awarded full accreditation in 1974 by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and soon thereafter purchased its first building, 600 S. Michigan Ave, in the South Loop, its permanent College home. In 1984, Columbia received full accreditation for its graduate programs. Dr. John B. Duff was named president in 1992, and during his tenure, the school changed its name to Columbia College Chicago, and expanded its educational programs, adding coursework emphasizing digital, media, design skills, and interdisciplinary studies. In 2000, Dr. Warrick L. Carter served as president and ushered in new student- based initiatives such as Manifest and ShopColumbia, worked to add more student housing on campus, and built Columbia’s first South Loop newly constructed building, the Media Production Center. In 2013, Kwang-Wu Kim, D.F.A. became Columbia College Chicago’s tenth president. He has directed a campus-wide refashioning of college curriculum and an institutional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Under his tenure, the second newly-constructed campus facility, the Student Center, was built. In 2024, the Board of Trustees appointed Jerry Tarrer to serve as interim President and CEO. Mr. Tarrer currently serves as a Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.Building on its heritage of creativity, innovation, and strength, Columbia College Chicago continues to challenge its students according to the school’s motto, “esse quam videri” – to be rather than to seem. The college encourages its students to author the culture of their times, with Columbia College Chicago graduates possessing the agile and flexible skills necessary to thrive in their careers as creatives. MISSION about.colum.edu/mission Columbia College Chicago is an undergraduate and graduate institution whose principal commitment is to provide a comprehensive educational opportunity in the arts, communications, and public information within a context of enlightened liberal education. Columbia’s intent is to educate students who will communicate creatively and shape the public’s perceptions of issues and events and who will author the culture of their times. Columbia is an urban institution whose students reflect the economic, racial, cultural, and educational diversity of contemporary 37