Columbia Launches the Distinguished Fellows Program

Columbia University is launching a new lifelong learning initiative.  A collaboration between the Office of the Provost and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Distinguished Fellows Program will offer a select group of leaders the opportunity to spend a year within Columbia’s academic community, learning from our faculty, engaging with students, and participating in a range of curated activities on campus and around New York City.

Drawn from the business, non-profit, arts, and other sectors, Fellows will be in residence at Columbia for a full academic year, where they will participate in specialized seminars, study alongside regular students in courses across the curriculum, and contribute to the life of the University as mentors and interlocutors.  Designed for those at an inflection point in life – such as completing a primary career goal or on the cusp of retirement – Columbia invites Fellows to chart a meaningful path for their futures.

"In today’s global landscape, leadership doesn’t end with a traditional career – it evolves," said Angela V. Olinto, Provost of the University and Rutherfurd Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics.  “The Columbia University Distinguished Fellows program is uniquely designed for engaged leaders, thinkers, and creators who are ready to immerse themselves in an academic environment, translating decades of executive, high-level wisdom into fresh insights."

The Distinguished Fellows Program will be led by faculty director Pamela Smith, the Seth Low Professor History.  A pioneering scholar of the history of science, Professor Smith’s teaching and research asks questions fundamental to human life and society: how do we acquire knowledge? How do we learn to create, with our minds as much as our hands? How does scientific discovery happen? Over three decades, including her work as founding director of the Center for Science and Society, she has served as a mentor to generations of students who have gone on to shape global thought and understanding about science and technology, its history, and ongoing influence in society. 

“The Distinguished Fellows Program is a unique opportunity to help talented people from different walks of life reactivate their intellectual creativity and explore topics beyond their own foundation of knowledge,” said Professor Smith. “Columbia has so much to offer, and so much to gain, from their presence on campus.  I’m honored to help build and lead this new program.”

Core elements of the Distinguished Fellows Program will include a cluster of activities designed exclusively for the cohort, including a series curated by Professor Smith that will feature experts from across the university and New York City sharing discovery and insights on big questions in research and society. 

Distinguished Fellows will also join a seminar inspired by Columbia’s renowned Core Curriculum, engaging primary works across human culture and history, including art, music, philosophy, religion, and science.  Alongside this program, Fellows can choose to take a deep dive into an area of study or particular interest and will have the option of undertaking a writing project as a way of exploring crucial questions and leaving a legacy. Fellows will also benefit from outings, talks, and performances in and around New York City.

“Columbia’s unique history, our Core Curriculum, and our location in the heart of New York City make this program like no other in the country,” said Amy E. Hungerford, Dean and Executive Vice President of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “Our faculty are leading scholars and teachers. Fellows will be able to tap into knowledge on a broad range of topics, to deepen and expand their own intellectual scope at a critical time of life.”

The program also invites Fellows to work directly with Columbia students, both in the classroom and through mentoring that will pair Fellows with students interested in areas where Fellows bring unique expertise. In this way, fellows will play a special role on campus, contributing to Columbia’s intergenerational community of learners.

Applications for the program are now open.  For the inaugural cohort, the program expects to admit between 15 and 25 Fellows, with a planned expansion in subsequent years. The program also plans to offer two full-tuition Public Service awards in its first year, for exceptional leaders coming from the non-profit sector. 

For more information, or to apply, please visit the Distinguished Fellows Program website.