Charter in 1754, Columbia University is a private university located in New York City and the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York. It is one of the eight Ivy League universities, and leads the world in Nobel prize affiliations. As of October 2006, 81 Columbia University affiliates have been honored with Nobel Prizes for their work in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace, and economics. It is second only to the University of Cambridge with 83.

Two former Presidents of the United States have attended Columbia. Six Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States and 39 Nobel Prize winners have obtained degrees from Columbia. Today, three United States Senators and 16 current Chief Executives of Fortune 500 companies hold Columbia degrees, as do three of the 25 richest Americans.

Recently Yong Tang, People's Daily Washington-based correspondent, conducted an exclusive interview with Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger in his office on the campus.

Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger

Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger (L) and People's Daily Washington-based correspondent Yong Tang

Yong Tang: What is the advantage and disadvantage of being in such a big city like New York?

Bollinger: The advantage is very obvious. We have access to some of the greatest resources in the world, including the arts, culture, and business. There is incredible diversity in New York City, a place where you encounter people from all over the world. Living here, there is a sense of globalization. There is also a congregation of talent, including writers, lecturers, intellectuals, and politicians. That is not possible with the same frequency when you do not live in New York. Over the last couple of years we had a number of world leaders come to Columbia to speak to students and interact with people here. It is an extraordinarily exciting thing to be educated at a great university in a great city.

As for the disadvantage, mostly it is the cost of living in New York. It is very expensive to live and study here.

Yong Tang: You were once President of University of Michigan. Today you are President of Columbia University. Since the former university is a top public one and the latter is a top private university, how do you think of the difference between the two presidential roles?

Bollinger: The difference between public universities and private universities is actually very small in the United States. Public universities are creatures of their state but they have enormous autonomy just like private universities. Private universities also receive a lot of funding from the federal government so they are also part of a public system. There are not dramatic differences like there used to be. Nevertheless, some differences still remain.

For example, state universities generally serve the state. Private universities, such as Columbia, can have a more global sensibility because they are not as tied to a particular state or region. Also, state universities tend to be very large and private universities are usually smaller. The University of Michigan has 40,000 students while there are 20,000 students at Columbia. I think mostly the difference between UM and Columbia has to do with New York City and the Midwest. At UM it is more isolated and therefore there are more opportunities to be reflective. Here at Columbia we are in the mix of what is going on in the world, therefore we can be more engaged with the outside world.

Yong Tang: You have been here for four years as Columbia University President. How do you feel about being here?

Bollinger: I love being here.

Yong Tang: Do you have any headaches?

Bollinger: I don't have any headaches. (Laugh)

Yong Tang: What makes you happy?

Bollinger: This is a very exciting time to be the president of a great university. The world is changing rapidly��because of your country, because of India and because of global markets. Technology has transformed the way we communicate. We face many fantastically important questions and universities are trying to think about those questions. It is wonderful to be part of an institution that is changing to embrace globalization.

Also, New York City and Columbia are thriving. We have a new campus we are planning to build that will take probably 20 to 30 years. A capital campaign of 4 billion dollars was just announced last September which includes new initiatives on neuroscience, globalization, and art and to improve our departments. It is really quite a magnificent time to be president of Columbia University.

Yong Tang: Globalization is a word most frequently referred to when American university presidents are interviewed by me. Why do you think globalization is so important to universities?

Bollinger: Globalization imposes really critical questions. One is: How are we going to create institutions that can channel and mediate the differences that exist because of our mutual dependency? Another is: how are we going to protect the environment? That is not just global warming, though significantly global warming, but how are we going to provide medical care to people? How are we going to understand what is happening in economics? There are just so many questions that relate to our disciplines of law, economics, business, political science, and public health. That is why it is so important.

Yong Tang: But my understanding is that Columbia University is globalized enough.

Bollinger: It is very global! We have the second largest number of international students among American institutions. At Columbia, we have the largest library of East Asian materials outside of China. Four courses on Chinese laws are being taught at the law school this year. But most of us realize that we have to be much more focused in our intellectual work and in our teaching on globalization. We are very global, but we need to be more so.

Yong Tang: What else have you done to make Columbia University more global?

Bollinger: We are bringing in more international students. We have tried to build up our existing schools and departments to have more focus on global issues. We have the School of International and Public Affairs and our economics and political science departments trying to have more focus on global issues. We also created some independent institutions like the European Institute and the Committee on Global Thought, chaired by Professor Joseph Stiglitz. We are exploring possibilities to add more global dimensions to public health and law.

Yong Tang: If there is a ranking about globalization among American institutions, where do you think Columbia University would stand?

Bollinger: I would hope Columbia would be in the top ten, or even the top five. Recently there was an analysis of world universities and Columbia was ranked seventh.

Yong Tang: China is an important part of your global strategy, but so far there are only 700 Chinese students at Columbia, accounting for only 4% of the total student body. Why is the percentage so small?

Bollinger: Yes, there are about 700 students from Mainland China. 36% of our international students are from East Asia. International students from 128 countries make up 18% of the University's student body. We would like to have more international students, and we would welcome more students from China.

Yong Tang: Do you have any immediate plan to increase the enrollment of Chinese students?

Bollinger: I wouldn't say there is a formal plan at the moment, but it is my intention to move in that direction.

Yong Tang: So many famous Chinese have graduated from Columbia University. Yang Lan, a famous TV hostess in China, also interviewed you. She is a Columbia alumna.

Bollinger: That is right. Did you see that interview?

Yong Tang: Yes. Do you know of any Chinese alumni except Yang Lan?

Bollinger: I was in Shanghai last March. I stayed there for two days to meet with alumni. A year before that I was in Beijing to do the same thing. I have met many of our Chinese alumni.

Yong Tang: How do you mark Chinese students here? What is your general impression on them?

Bollinger: They are hardworking, and very, very talented.

Yong Tang: Someone said compared with Chinese students here in the United States, American students tend to be more suspicious of accepted rules and more ready to challenge the traditional views.

Bollinger: That could be.

Yong Tang: If I were a student here, how could Columbia educate me so that I could become a more critical thinker?

Bollinger: Just by being in the classroom. The way we teach encourages people to think independently.

Yong Tang: You once made a speech in Peking University. How do you think of the gap between Chinese universities and their American counterparts?

Bollinger: I don't know how well they are doing as Chinese universities. My sense is that some Chinese universities have strong reputations here.

Yong Tang: Does Columbia University have any cooperation programs with its Chinese counterparts?

Bollinger: Yes, there are many. We have partnerships and exchange programs with Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, and Nanjing Universities, among others.

Yong Tang: Since Chinese universities are generally inferior to American universities in terms of quality, what kind of benefits can you get from such cooperation with China? If I were a first class chess player, what can I get from playing with a second rate or even third rate player?

Bollinger: First of all, I don't think Chinese universities are second rate or third rate. It is very important to build relationships with Chinese universities and learn by each others example. If they are not already, we know that Chinese universities are going to become world class.

Yong Tang: So you are investing in the future?

Bollinger: That is right. Another thing is that Chinese universities know things that we don't know. Say, what is going to happen in China? What happens in China is extremely important to the world. In some areas you may have the greatest experts in the world, like anthropology, civil engineering. So we want to have close connections with those individuals and institutions.

Yong Tang: It is said that Columbia University accepts undergraduate students from America and Canada only. Is that true?

Bollinger: It is not true. We have undergraduate students from all over the world, including China.

Yong Tang: 75% of students at Columbia are postgraduate students. Why is the postgraduate student body so large?

Bollinger: It is due to our professional schools. Columbia has world class graduate and professional programs in business, public health, journalism, international affairs, law, and other disciplines.

Yong Tang: In Chinese universities Kin breeding is very widespread. Most faculties and administrators are graduates of the university they are working for today. This is detrimental for the continuing creativity of the school. Does Columbia University have any policies to avoid kin breeding and encourage diversity?

Bollinger: We have policies that no advantages should be given to someone because he or she is a Columbia graduate. To some extent Columbia University alumni are discouraged to work at Columbia because it is important to encourage diversity and avoid favoritism.

Yong Tang: Your Graduate School of Journalism is very famous in China. Since journalism is becoming increasingly important in modern society, do you have any unique instruction methods or ideas to educate those next generations of journalists?

Bollinger: We are trying to create professional journalists with all kinds of standards and values and comprehensive knowledge of the fields they will report on.

Yong Tang: How do you describe your working days here?

Bollinger: My days are very busy, with many meetings...and I teach a class on the First Amendment two days a week.

Yong Tang: What excites you most?

Bollinger: What excites me most is trying to understand our world. The great thing about universities is the spirit of learning. I enjoy being the president of Columbia because I am part of an institution that is focused on a greater understanding of what is happening in the world.