Thursday, February 18, 2010

The the Ibrahim Hashem House Preservation Project


Beginning in March of 2009, the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation’s Historic Preservation Program has been steadily working on the documentation of a small villa given to the GSAPP by the city of Amman in Jordan in the Ibrahim Hashem House Preservation Project. Leading this project is Professor Andrew Dolkart, who is working alongside a group of GSAPP students, as well as Professor George Wheeler and Dean Mark Wigley of the GSAPP.

This project is a part of a more general effort for Columbia University to make Amman a global center for Columbia. The subject of the project—the abandoned villa in Amman, Jordan—was built in 1935 for one of Jordan’s first prime ministers. The municipality of Amman gave the villa to Columbia and facilitated the work for the Ibrahim Hashem House Preservation Project.

The first step in the project began last spring, when Professor Dolkart selected five students based on their individual talents to work with him to restore the villa. These students had the opportunity to present their work to Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, advisory board member of the Columbia Global Center, at the March launch of the Center. The students continued working on the house through the summer of 2009.

When the Ibrahim Hashem House Preservation Project is completed, it will provide another venue for Columbia University in the city of Amman that has the specific function of developing collaborative projects between Columbia University and local and regional architects, planners, and preservationists.

Professor Dolkart and his team of students and colleagues hold as the final goal of this project the rehabilitation of the villa. They hope that the finished project will provide a residential center for visiting scholars in Amman, as well as a site for discussion, and the sharing of ideas about what Professor Dolkart calls the “built world.” The team hopes to add a cafĂ© and a gallery to the villa, but the specifics, according to Professor Dolkart, will have to be worked out as the design proceeds.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Interacting with Columbia Interactive

Your Wish List:
  1. A class on America and the Muslim world
  2. An interactive network dedicated to international affairs
  3. A complete history of New York Architecture
  4. Links to all of Columbia’s publications from the Fed to Columbia’s Journal of Law and Social Problems
  5. A class on the wonders of Nano-science

You’re in luck. You can reach all this and more from your desk with Columbia Interactive, Columbia University’s online learning site. The site combines online resources such as websites and webcasts, e-seminars, online e-courses for credit, and new media initiatives. By pooling a wide-range of online resources in one accessible site members of the Columbia community have a world of information at their finger-tips.
Its online e-seminars are short courses that cover a wide range of topics in the arts, sciences, business, and journalism. The free e-seminars focus on diverse issues from "America and the Muslim World" to "Biography of the AIDS Epidemic."

By utilizing current technology the site connects scholars, educators, and students that may otherwise be separated by geography or time. With a computer and internet connection Columbia students or staff could hear "The Future of English" a seminar taught by David Crystal, leading language expert and resident of Holyhead, United Kingdom. In addition, the classes have found meaningful ways to engage their learners wherever they may be. The course, "News Reporting: A Fire Scenario" takes students through a two-hour journalism simulation to cover a five-alarm raging fire.
Find out how you would cover this....

Columbia Interactive also focuses on connecting the Columbia community to many resources that are already on the web. Faculty interviews, articles, and databases are just a click away from their website. Their listing of Columbia’s journals and newsletters means that students and alumni can keep in touch with new findings no matter where they may travel.
 
One problem that arises in using the website is that many of the links or resources are outdated. Excitedly clicking on links often led me to warnings of “Page No Longer Exists.” Perhaps the site is awaiting a spring cleaning. In 2003 the website received a Web Award for Outstanding Achievement in Website Development from the Web Marketing Association. The competition was sponsored by Google, Internet World, and Advertising Week, and featured entries from 19 countries. An update could make it equally useful in the new decade.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Academic Commons: Deposit Your Electronic Research!

Columbia University Libraries/Information Services invites you to deposit your electronic research materials into the University's online repository, Academic Commons. This secure preservation service is offered free of charge to the CU community, and includes a permanent URL for every item deposited as well as the option to maximize your work's visibility via Google Scholar and RSS feeds. Eligible content includes (and is not limited to): theses, dissertations, articles, working papers, conference materials, journals, monographs, data sets, and multimedia files.
Those who deposit receive advice on copyright and permissions information for their work and support for compliance with funding-related archiving requirements. Authors can specify levels of access to their work public to Columbia-only to “none” (on a time-limited basis). For more information and to begin depositing your materials, please email Sarah Holsted at sholsted@columbia.edu, or call her at 212-851-7339.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Job Opening: Director for Europe (Loc: Paris)

Columbia University
Office of International Relations
Director

Reporting to the Office of Global Centers in New York, the Director is responsible for leading the Columbia Global Center for Europe, located in Paris.

Responsibilities: 
  1. Establish a vibrant academic Center in Europe and link that Center's programs to Columbia University's network of global centers around the world. 
  2. Strategically communicate to Columbia faculty and administrators the activities and services offered by the Center and effectively build teaching and research programs that advance the core mission of the University. 
  3. Work closely with academic colleagues and institutions across Europe, and reach out to Europe's policy and business communities. 
  4. Maintain and enforce the Center's identity standards including editorial and visual guidelines.
  5. Work closely with the Vice President of Global Centers to set policies, assist with strategic planning.
  6. Work closely with the Director of Administration in New York to ensure Center compliance with all the financial, legal, tax policies and rules. 
  7. Work on fundraising in close collaboration with the Office of Alumni and Development. 
  8. Manage the strategic direction of the Center's website. 
  9. Is responsible for the financial management of the Center. 
  10. Supervise administrative and program staff. 
  11. Other duties and projects as assigned.  

Bachelor's degree required. Seven years' related experience required.  

Prior experience living and/or working in Europe. Fluency in English, and at least one other major European language. Five years experience at a senior level in academic administration, program development and financial management, preferably in Europe. Proven entrepreneurial talents and achievement in an institution-building setting. Superior interpersonal skills with proven ability to successfully interact and collaborate with varied constituencies in a professional manner. Excellent written and oral communication skills, demonstrating tact and diplomacy working with a wide variety of personalities. Must be a team player and innovative self-starter. Willing to accept multiple year commitment in Paris, France.  

For a full job announcement and to apply, please visit our web site: jobs.columbia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=117757

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.