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Transcript of Columbia College Chicago - Viewbook
LIVE WHAT YOU LOVE
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table of contents
Introduction 3Liberal Arts and Sciences Core 12 Programs of Study 14 Honors Program 26 Learning Studio 26 Diversity 28 Faculty 30
Facilities 34
Urban Campus 38
Career Preparation 46 Student Life 56 Living on Campus 58
Sustainability 60 Value 62
Alumni 68
FastFacts 73
image credits 74
1 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
GO AHEAD, BE BRAVE. TELL YOUR STORY—THE ONE THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN TELL. Write it down, scream it from the stage, sketch it in your notebook, storyboard it and bring it to the big screen—however you tell it best. But tell it. Because your story matters. Your voice matters.
3 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
YOUR RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF NEW IDEAS—NEW WAYS OF SEEING, DOING, AND KNOWING—IS IMPORTANT.
Your unique perspective, your ability to
seek solutions that didn’t exist before,
and your willingness, maybe even your
need, to share your ideas broadly are
at the very heart and soul of creativity.
It can be difficult work, yes, but
you should know it is in high demand.
The same approaches to reasoning
and problem solving that painters,
actors, designers, and communicators
have always brought to their work are
the same as those now being adopted
and prized by leaders across a range of
professional settings. From computer
science, to popular culture, to viral
marketing campaigns, politics, even
law, medicine, and science—the ability
to imagine, to innovate, to develop
new ways of thinking and doing are
what will drive and define success in a
competitive world.
Think of it as the new ‘creative
economy.’ And as it continues to
expand and change, Columbia College
Chicago stands where it always
has—where artistry, technology, and
innovation intersect.
4 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
Columbia is the largest and most diverse, non-
profit, private arts and media college in the nation.
We specialize in educating students in the visual,
performing, media, and communication arts, and
we will help you cultivate the skills, experiences, and
connections you will need to successfully design and
navigate your career.
Columbia offers an immersive, creative
learning environment like no other—where original
voices are supported and innovative ideas are
celebrated; where hard work, intellectual rigor, and risk-
taking define our students and our culture. We believe
that there are many answers to a good question and
many approaches to solving difficult problems—that
collaborative thinking and hands-on doing provide
the best foundation to connect you to your own work
and to the work of others. We’ve designed our creative
learning environment this way because we know it is
the best preparation for launching a sustainable career
in a creative field.
YOUR VOICE HAS POWER—AND NOW IT HAS A PLACE.
Columbia’s curriculum is rigorous and challenging—and our faculty will hold you to professional standards— because living a creative life is one of the most demanding paths you can choose. It is also one of the most rewarding…and important.
6 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
8 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
And they come to Columbia from just about
everywhere to explore, to practice, to develop, to test,
and to discover the best way to say it. In the process
they learn to push themselves and the boundaries of
their art forms.
Columbia’s student body represents one of
the largest concentrations of creative youth in the
world. Our students approach their work with open
minds, a desire to live intellectually, and an eagerness
to collaborate with one another. They are unafraid to
ask hard questions, test new waters, or grapple with
big ideas. And they approach their education and their
work with such discipline, courage, and honesty, not
because they have to, but because they can’t imagine
doing it any other way.
OUR STUDENTS HAVE SOMETHINGTO SAY.
We are a creative power-house: a wildly diverse collective of the world’s leading artists and communicators—students and faculty who share a passion for telling stories that reflect and shape culture, that define our world.
WE GRADUATE STUDENTS WHOSE WORK IS DARING AND RELEVANT.
10 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
FOCUS AND DIG DEEP.
Columbia’s curriculum is specifically structured
to allow you to focus and dig deep into the areas
you are most passionate about, but also broad
enough to let you explore other disciplines and
subjects that can add layers and meaning to the
work you will do in your major. At Columbia, a
traditional liberal arts core will provide the context
for everything you will do as a student; it is the
foundation from which to practice your craft,
move your work forward, and develop your voice
deeply. Columbia’s curriculum is designed to help
you consider and advance your ideas and creative
work in the framework of a larger, global milieu.
It is designed to provide you with the breadth of
connections, resources, and knowledge to be
flexible and resilient in today’s (and tomorrow’s)
rapidly changing marketplace.
At the center of a Columbia College education is a core of liberal arts and sciences coursework.
Our classes in Composition,
Anthropology, Communications, Foreign
Languages, History, Literature, Philosophy,
Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Sociology,
Mathematics, and Science expose our students
to the broad spectrum of human experience
and history while providing the essential context
for creating meaningful work that endures. We
graduate students whose work is daring and
relevant because they draw from everything that
came before them, while at the same time living
and working in today’s world.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Core
12 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
Advertising Art Direction (BFA)American Sign Language- English Interpretation (BA)Art & Design (BA)Art History (BA)Art & Materials Conservation (BA)Arts Management (BA) Advanced Management (BA) Live & Performing Arts (BA) Media Management (BA) Music Business Management (BA) Sports Management (BA) Visual Arts Management (BA)Audio Arts & Acoustics Acoustics (BA) Audio Design & Production (BA) Audio for Visual Design (BA) Live & Installed Sound (BA)Creative Writing Nonfiction (BA) Poetry (BA)Cultural Studies (BA)
Dance (BA) Dancemaking (BFA) Pedagogy (BFA)Early Childhood Education (BA)Fashion Business (BA)Fashion Design (BFA)Fiction Writing (BA, BFA)Film & Video (BA) Animation/Computer (BA) Animation/Traditional (BA) Audio for Visual Media (BA) Cinema Studies (BA) Cinematography (BA) Directing (BA) Documentary (BA) Film & Video (BA) Post-Production (BA) Producing (BA) Screenwriting (BA)Fine Art (BFA)Game Design Game Art (BA) Game Development (BA) Programming (BA) Sound Design (BA)
COLUMBIA OFFERS BACHELOR OF ARTS, BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS, AND BACHELOR OF MUSIC DEGREES:
Programs of Study
14 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
Graphic Design (BFA)Illustration (BFA)Interactive Arts & Media (BA, BFA)Interior Architecture (BFA)Journalism Broadcast Journalism/Radio (BA) Broadcast Journalism/Television (BA) Magazine Writing & Editing (BA) News Reporting & Writing (BA) News Reporting & Writing/Sports Reporting (BA) Science Journalism (BA)Marketing Communication Advertising (BA) Marketing (BA) Public Relations (BA)Music Composition (BA, BMus) Contemporary Urban & Popular Music (BA, BMus) Instrumental Jazz (BA) Instrumental Performance (BA) Vocal Performance (BA)
Gold Text indicates majors offered by the college. White Text indicates concentrations offered within majors.
Photography (BA, BFA) Commercial (BA) Fine Art (BA) Photojournalism (BA)Playwriting (BA)Product Design (BFA)Radio (BA)Television Internet & Mobile Media (BA) Post-Production & Effects (BA) Production & Directing (BA) Writing & Producing (BA)Theatre Acting (BA, BFA) Directing (BA, BFA) Musical Theatre (BA) Musical Theatre Performance (BFA) Technical Theatre (BA) Theatre Design (BA, BFA)
15 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
ADVERTISING ART DIRECTION
(see Art & Design)
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE – ENGLISH INTERPRETATION Columbia’s Department of ASL-English
Interpretation educates students who are
committed to serving as leaders, role models,
and advocates for the Deaf and hard-of-
hearing community. You will be immersed in
an intensive language and culture program
that promotes a nuanced understanding of
the linguistic and cultural complexities found
in this diverse population. Columbia’s ASL
faculty—who are both deaf and hearing—are
nationally certified interpreters who are
experts in ASL communication and Deaf
culture. They also have extensive relationships
in the Deaf and interpreting communities,
uniquely positioning Columbia to offer
you access to learning opportunities and
experiences not found elsewhere. ART & DESIGN
Advertising Art Direction, Art & Design, Art History, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture, Product Design
Our Art and Design Department is home to a
wide range of programs, all of which are tailored
to give you the education and experience you
need to develop your own artistic style and
point of view. Our faculty foster an environment
that encourages students to collaborate
across disciplines while focusing on a specific
field of interest. You will explore how different
aesthetic principles—everything from color and
composition, to building materials; from textiles
and text, to illustrations and installations; from
graphics and environments, to market trends—
can impact your work and help you shape the
creative look and feel of the 21st century.
ART & MATERIALS CONSERVATION Columbia’s Art and Materials Conservation
program unites the precision of science and the
aesthetics of fine art that are used to preserve,
maintain, and protect works of art and important
cultural artifacts. Through a foundation of
coursework in chemistry, materials science,
and the humanities, our students work closely
with a faculty of accomplished scientists and art
historians to develop their understanding of the
scientific methods and ethical considerations
surrounding art and materials conservation. As the
only one of its kind in the Midwest, our program
is uniquely positioned to provide students with
access to world-renowned museums, libraries,
galleries, and private collections, as well as a
full academic year of hands-on study under the
guidance of conservation experts at the Lorenzo
de’ Medici School in Florence, Italy.
ARTS MANAGEMENT Advanced Management, Live & Performing Arts, Media Management, Music Business Management, Sports Management, Visual Arts Management The Arts Management program at Columbia
prepares you with the skills and knowledge to
effectively connect the work that artists create and
the audiences they are trying to reach. Facilitating
these kinds of profitable business partnerships
requires an ability to collaborate with creative
thinkers and an in-depth understanding of the
managerial, economic, marketing, financial, and
legal issues found throughout the modern arts
and entertainment industry.
Programs of Study
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16 Live What You Love | Columbia Colllege Chicago
17 Live What You Love | Columbia Colllege Chicago
AUDIO ARTS & ACOUSTICS Acoustics, Audio Design & Production, Audio for Visual Design, Live & Installed Sound
Our Audio Arts and Acoustics programs live at the
intersection of science and art. We systematically
address the physics of sound production and
transmission, the technology of audio equipment,
the physiology of hearing, and the psychology of
sound perception and cognition for the purpose of
understanding and creatively exploring our sonic
environment. Through this balance of science,
technology, and creativity you will develop strong
skills and aural sensibility and prepare yourself
for a successful career in the many fields of audio.
You will learn in our state-of-the-art recording
studios, post-production suites, research facilities,
and specialized classrooms and be given the
tools and experience necessary to craft the
soundscapes that enhance our everyday lives.
CREATIVE WRITING Nonfiction, Poetry NONFICTION Columbia’s Creative Writing – Nonfiction program
offers a full curriculum of classes and workshops
for students interested in working in this highly
personal genre of writing. By exploring the
various means of creative expression associated
with the personal essay, autobiography, memoir,
diary, prose poem, and travelogue, you will
learn to shape your own storytelling techniques
and share your unique perspectives with your
audience. As a student in this program, you will
graduate prepared to succeed in any career or
graduate program that values strong writing skills
and creative thinking.
POETRY Columbia’s dedication to poetry is renowned:
We were the first college in the country to offer
an undergraduate program of its kind. Our
classes and workshops are led by internationally
renowned poets and scholars who have been
widely published and who share their diverse,
creative and professional perspectives in the
classroom. By encouraging you to focus on
your writing process and develop an aesthetic
understanding of your own work, we enable you
to achieve artistic and critical success through
your poetry.
CULTURAL STUDIES
This program focuses on studying a variety
of fields from music and food, to gender and
religion, to social rituals and subcultures. Using
an interdisciplinary approach that utilizes
a wide range of elective courses and study
abroad opportunities, you will hone a critical
appreciation of how people and cultures
interact with the social, economic, and political
forces around them. You will graduate uniquely
qualified for a career in any profession that
values a keen, deeply developed understanding
of how cultural traditions and phenomena affect
a world in which art and media are created,
consumed, and criticized.
Programs of Study
18 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
DANCE Dancemaking, Pedagogy
Columbia’s Dance students commit their
bodies, minds, and imaginations to learning and
mastering one of the oldest forms of physical,
spiritual, and artistic expression in the world.
In this program focused on modern dance
education, you will dance every day, and through
classes in jazz, hip hop, modern, ballet, and a
variety of world forms, you will be immersed in
a curriculum that encourages you to fashion
your own creative vision while integrating other
aspects of this art—dance theory, dance history,
music analysis, choreography, cultural studies,
and body sciences—into your training.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Following the internationally respected Reggio
Emilia approach and developed in collaboration
with the renowned Erikson Institute, Columbia’s
Early Childhood Education program celebrates
children as capable and multifaceted individuals.
This program combines the study of child
development, focused work in the arts, and
extensive fieldwork in classrooms to provide
you with the kind of rigorous academic training
that readies you to be an effective, passionate
teacher who knows how to anticipate and meet
the educational needs of children (ages birth
through third grade) in a range of urban settings.
FASHION BUSINESS & FASHION DESIGN Reflecting the creative and commercial
collaboration between designing and selling
clothes, Columbia’s Fashion Studies Department
prepares you for a career on either the design
side of the industry (clothing, costume, jewelry,
accessory design) or the business side (retail
management, purchasing, boutique ownership).
By studying fashion theory, design practice and
methods, dress and costume history, basic drawing,
visual merchandising, apparel manufacturing,
entrepreneurship, and CAD for fashion, you will
expand your understanding of modern consumers,
develop your artistic sensibilities, learn the
latest techniques, technology, and management
strategies, and experiment with new advances in
textiles and renewable resources.
FICTION WRITINGColumbia’s Fiction Writing program is dedicated
to helping you tell the stories that you want to tell.
We use the renowned Story Workshop® method
and a faculty of professional writers to tap the rich
imaginations and unique array of voices found
in our Fiction majors and help them develop a
personal approach to their writing. By working
in such formats as the novel, the short story,
playwriting, essays, and the graphic novel, you
will have the opportunity to share your ideas and
explore your unique literary style.
FILM & VIDEO
Animation/Computer, Animation/Traditional, Audio For Visual Media, Cinema Studies, Cinematography, Directing, Documentary, Post-Production, Producing, Screenwriting
Our curriculum immerses you in a collaborative,
team-based environment, provides you with industry-
standard facilities, and offers you ten different areas
of concentration designed to give you specialized
expertise in the area of filmmaking that interests
you the most. Columbia’s Film & Video Department
encourages filmmaking that is grounded in
independent thinking, an understanding of cinema
history and aesthetics, rigorous coursework, and the
value of hands-on training. Most importantly though,
at Columbia you start producing movies in your first
year, meaning that you will quickly begin to see your
work and creative vision come to life on the screen.
Programs of Study
21 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
FINE ART
(see Art & Design)
GAME DESIGN Game Art, Game Development, Programming, Sound Design
Our Game Design majors immediately obtain rigorous
hands-on experience in team-based environments
that simulate real world scenarios. Students choose
to develop an in-depth concentration in game art,
design, programming, or sound. During the capstone
course, many students opt to create a full-scale video
game through an industrial scale production process.
Others work through smaller scale teams to build an
emerging forms portfolio consisting of simulations,
mobile apps, and indie games. Our experienced
faculty excels at preparing students for rewarding and
creative work in a rapidly growing field, while exploring
the aesthetics, theory, culture, and practices that
shape today’s gaming industry.
GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION
(see Art & Design)
INTERACTIVE ARTS & MEDIA
IAM students learn to build dynamic media and art
experiences centered on the interactions between
people and technology. A student might choose a
course pathway emphasizing interactive art (BFA),
interaction design (BA), or programming (BA). By
focusing on the core principles of media theory,
visual, web and interactive design, time-based
media, digital storytelling, and physical computing,
students become innovators of new media
experiences, while honing a digital toolset and
developing a unique artistic voice.
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE
(see Art & Design)
JOURNALISM
Broadcast Journalism/Radio, Broadcast Journalism/Television, Magazine Writing & Editing, News Reporting & Writing, News Reporting & Writing/Sports Reporting, Science Journalism
Columbia College Chicago prepares you to cover
the news of politics, entertainment, sports,
business, fashion, health, and more, accurately
and ethically. In an ever-evolving media landscape,
our curriculum teaches the crucial core values of
journalism as you explore emerging new media
and entrepreneurial opportunities. Through our
hands-on approach, including dynamic courses,
meaningful internships, and connections with
successful alumni, you will gain the practical,
real-world experience that leads to a career as a
trusted, influential journalist.
Programs of Study
22 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
MARKETING COMMUNICATION Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations
Columbia’s Marketing Communication Department
prepares you for a dynamic, creative career in a
field that shapes and delivers compelling, original
messages that resonate in the minds of the public.
Our rigorous curriculum offers opportunities to
specialize in advertising, public relations, and
marketing with classes in: consumer behavior,
culture and race, branding, and marketing. Working
closely with our faculty of working professionals,
you will get all the context and training necessary to
succeed in today’s competitive marketplace.
MUSIC
Composition, Contemporary Urban & Popular Music, Instrumental Jazz, Instrumental Performance, Vocal Performance
Columbia specializes in using a rigorous
curriculum to train contemporary musicians
and composers. Through a fusion of classroom
instruction, individual training, workshops, and
master classes, we allow you to explore your
personal creative approach to music while
expanding your understanding of music theory.
You will have the opportunity to explore jazz,
pop, R&B, blues, and rock alongside a faculty of
accomplished musicians and music professionals
while taking advantage of the more than 20
bands, combos, choirs, and orchestras.
23 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
PHOTOGRAPHY Commercial, Fine Art, Photojournalism
Columbia’s Photography Department teaches the
fundamental technical and conceptual skills—as
well as important historical and artistic frameworks
—that you will need to develop your own creative
techniques and professional aesthetics. You will
get hands-on experience working with images in a
range of styles (photojournalism, studio, commercial,
documentary, and fine art) while you hone your
mastery of both traditional and digital photography
formats. Columbia’s facilities are the most extensive
and advanced in the Midwest, with a digital imaging
lab, state-of-the-art scanners, large-format cameras
and printers, color and black-and-white darkrooms,
and studios with professional lighting.
PLAYWRITING (see Fiction Writing)
PRODUCT DESIGN (see Art & Design)
RADIO Our Radio program provides you with the skills and
knowledge necessary for a successful career in
both the art and business of radio. The curriculum
not only ensures that all students take part in the
operation and programming of Columbia’s award-
winning radio station, WCRX 88.1 FM, it also allows
you to work in multiple radio formats (traditional and
satellite broadcasting, podcasting, webcasting) while
our faculty of industry professionals guide you in
developing your talents as an on-air host, sportscaster,
newscaster, programmer, promotion manager, station
manager, producer, or production director.
TELEVISION Internet & Mobile Media, Post-Production & Effects, Production & Directing, Writing & Producing
Television is evolving, and Columbia’s Television
Department prepares you to succeed in all its
traditional and emergent forms. From the first
semester, you will learn in a hands-on environment
using our state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
Our foundation curriculum, grounded in history,
ethics, and artistic vision, will take you through every
phase of production from script to screen. You then
choose a concentration: Internet & Mobile Media,
Post-Production & Effects, Production & Directing,
Writing & Producing. Finally, you will choose a
senior year, capstone experience. It might be
working on one of our award-winning departmental
shows, a professional internship, or our Semester
in LA program. The Television Department’s
comprehensive program thoroughly prepares you
for a rewarding career in this growing medium.
THEATRE Acting, Directing, Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre Performance, Technical Theatre, Theatre Design
Columbia’s Theatre Department immerses you
in a vibrant and challenging curriculum taught
by a faculty of accomplished professionals. Our
ensemble approach to this art emphasizes the
benefits of collaboration, creativity, and hard
work from everyone both on stage and behind the
scenes. Columbia mounts over 40 productions each
year, ensuring that you have ample opportunities
to explore your interests as a director, actor,
technician, playwright, or designer. By providing
you with so many chances to delve into both the
mechanics and artistry of theater, we ensure you
are ready for a successful future in dramatic arts.
Programs of Study
24 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
The Learning StudioColumbia’s Learning Studio is an innovative academic support center designed to help students meet the challenges of Columbia’s rigorous and creative curriculum. Students may seek assistance that is tailored to their individual learning needs through tutoring in math, science, and writing, and peer study groups. The Learning Studio also supports students who wish to push their achievements to their highest levels, and it’s not uncommon to find our Honors students taking advantage of the friendly help available through the Studio.
The Honors ProgramColumbia College Chicago’s Honors Program offers motivated, high-achieving students the opportunity to pursue deeper intellectual and creative challenges in their core coursework in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students whose skills, interests, energy, and initiative make them ideally suited for the challenges of this type of coursework will be invited to join the Honors Program.
Our curriculum also offers programs to further enhance learning or provide inspiration for deeper academic accomplishment:
ENHANCING THE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE
26 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
27/28 Diversity
They come from the Chicago area,
from across the country, and around
the world. They are writers on their
school newspaper or literary magazine,
they performed in their school theater
productions (big roles and small roles).
They are class valedictorians, they
won awards in their local or regional
art competitions. They belong to a
dance troupe. They might even have
some prior professional experience
under their belts...OR they may just
be beginning to discover their creative
passion, and that’s exciting to us, too.
No matter what your level of
experience, you can find your own path
here. There is no limit to how deep (or
how wide) you can go in our curriculum.
Our student body is one of
the most diverse you’ll find on any
college campus. We believe this
diversity is essential to the continued
advancement of contemporary arts,
media, and communications, and we
celebrate it!
Diversity
COLUMBIA STUDENTS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, AGES, SEXES, COLORS, RACES, CREEDS, CULTURES, AND ABILITIES.
28 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
We have always believed that faculty who are actively engaged in the subjects they teach are uniquely qualified to share their expertise in the classroom. Our faculty are Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, Emmy Award-winning producers, and nationally recognized photographers, managers, artists, actors, writers, designers, dancers, business owners, and community leaders. Above all, they are gifted teachers committed to sharing their experience and insight with our students.
Faculty
ACTIVE INDUSTRY LEADERS
Our teachers are creative leaders, shaping their disciplines and fields, and bringing the most contemporary and innovative thinking to the structure and delivery of our curriculum.
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26 Live What You Love | Columbia Colllege Chicago
“ I teach exactly what I do as an artist… I love the ability to blend motion, image, interaction, and story that the technology provides. I love that the medium does not stay still, that you are always learning new methods. I think it is very important for artists to be actively engaged in the direction and formation of new media.”
Niki Nolin, Associate Professor Interactive Arts and Media
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26 Live What You Love | Columbia Colllege Chicago
We know that the best way to learn your craft is to actually DO your craft. Keeping our facilities and technology on the cutting edge is essential to our hands-on educational approach that will prepare you to hit the ground running in your chosen field. You will get real hands-on experience working on our film and video production and post-production equipment, and in our photography labs, graphic design computer labs, dance studios, concert halls, theater stages, radio station, recording facilities, art studios, performance spaces, design studios, television studios, and galleries.
Media Production CenterColumbia is also home to the Media Production Center, an extraordinary educational facility designed to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among students in film, interactive arts and media, and television. The Center features two sound stages, a motion-capture studio for game design and 3-D animation, an animation lab, and ample space for production design, costume construction, and all the other myriad components that come together to make fully realized film and digital media productions.
COLUMBIA’S FACILITIES ARE SECOND TO NONE.
Facilities
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36 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
Columbia’s campus is just...different. Instead of tree-lined quads, we have block after block
of new opportunities and possibilities. Instead of ivy-covered buildings, we are surrounded by
people, ideas, and inspirations from all over the world. And we may not have rolling green lawns
and football games, but we do pulse with an irrepressible creative energy that is unmatched
by any other college. When you need to take a break, just step onto our front lawn—Grant Park
and Lake Michigan—for a dose of serenity and natural beauty.
Our campus is not just our neighborhood, but all of Chicago—the theaters, museums, galleries,
restaurants, libraries, clubs, concert halls, studios, publishers, international corporations,
television and radio stations, newspapers, ad agencies, and nine miles of Lake Michigan parks
and beaches. It’s a vibrant, shifting urban campus of people, colors, architecture, culture, and
experience that offers the kinds of educational, professional, and creative opportunities that
can only be found in one of the greatest cities on the planet.
23 BUILDINGS RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF CHICAGO’S HISTORIC, BUSTLING SOUTH LOOP NEIGHBORHOOD.
Urban Campus
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22 Live What You Love | Columbia Colllege Chicago
A VIBRANT, SHIFTING URBAN CANVAS OF PEOPLE, COLORS, ARCHITECTURE, CULTURE, AND EXPERIENCE.
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42 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
“ Knowing I can walk down Wabash Avenue and see peers from all different nationalities, backgrounds, religions, sexual preferences, and ages is truly the Columbia landscape, and being able to interact with such a range of personal experiences in the classroom has made my education all the more meaningful.”
Percentage of minority students in student body: 30.2%
States represented in student body: 50
Countries represented in student body: 46
Jessica Valerio, Visual Arts Management major, 2011
43 Live What You Love | Columbia College Chicago
“ The more fully we are who we are as people, the fuller we are as artists and thinkers, the richer our classrooms, our conversations, our art becomes.”
K. Bradford, Coordinator of the LGBTQ Office of Culture & Community and Adjunct Faculty, English Department
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BODY OF WORKOne of Columbia’s primary goals as a college is to prepare you for your career as an adaptable, thoughtful creative professional. We will encourage you as an artist and innovator by offering rigorous academics and abundant internship opportunities, using real-world expectations to inform your coursework and help you build your portfolio, and providing you with state-of-the-art facilities in which to work and study. By ensuring that you graduate with a thorough understanding of the creative marketplace that you will enter and a professional-grade Body of Work, we will help you successfully position your talent and dedication to the industry professionals who can hire you. We want you thinking about your Body of Work from the moment you arrive on campus. Will it include a portfolio, films, articles, stories, poems, papers, artwork, or music? Or will it be a resume that shows the jobs you’ve held and the internships you’ve completed?
45/46 Career Prep
Career Preparation
When you graduate from Columbia we expect you to walk out with a Body of Work that shows off you and your talent. It will be your calling card, and it will tell the world that you and your work are to be taken seriously.
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26 Live What You Love | Columbia Colllege Chicago
Portfolio Center The Portfolio Center excels at helping you sift through
your Body of Work to pull out the best of the best from
what you’ve done in and out of class. The Portfolio
Center Staff members will help you put together
professional-grade portfolios, resumes, press kits,
demo reels, and web sites. The Portfolio Center also
hosts over a thousand industry professionals each
year—experts who will give you feedback on the work
you’re doing and how to present it so it meets current
industry standards.
Internships Columbia has hundreds and hundreds and hundreds
of internships. Literally, we have more internships
than we have students to fill them. And since we’re
assuming nobody is dying to learn how to fetch
coffee or make photocopies, they’ve all been chosen
specifically to give our students direct, hands-on
experience in the fields they’re studying. These
are internships that will get your hands dirty and
your mind working, and happen at places like E!
Entertainment, The Museum of Contemporary Art,
The Onion, Pitchfork Media, Ralph Lauren, Island/Def
Jam Records, PBS, the Chicago Bears, the American
Red Cross, and Harper’s Bazaar. And that’s just some
of them; the list really does go on, and on, and on,
and on, and on….
ShopColumbiaThis is our professionally curated retail boutique that
sells only the work of Columbia students. We opened
it for two reasons: first, we wanted to give our students
experience with the business side of arts retail
(marketing and selling their work, and a familiarity
with contracts and consignment agreements), and
second, we really wanted to give the public a chance
to buy the incredible work our students are creating.
Don’t worry, we’re going to help.
We’ve put in place numerous programs,
offices, and events all over campus to
help you not only put together and craft
your Body of Work, but also to help
make sure that the whole world has a
chance to see it.
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ManifestEvery Spring Columbia hosts an end-of-the-year graduation celebration/arts fair/music festival/showcase of spectacle and innovation. Or, as we call it, Manifest. It’s a full day of free-for-all creativity marking the ‘arrival’ of the next generation of creative professionals—letting the world know that our students spend their time working hard, reaching high, and daring to do things differently.
Industry NightThis annual event is about two things: our students’ Bodies of Work, and the industry leaders who want to be first in line to see them. This is not a “job fair” or a “career night.” It’s where our seniors showcase themselves, and how hard they’ve been working, to industry leaders. Every year we host several hundred local and international businesses—businesses like Saks Fifth Avenue, Pitchfork Media, DraftFCB, Leo Burnett, SPIN Magazine, CBS 2 Chicago, and McDonald’s Creative Services—and every year our graduates make connections that can help lead them to the careers they want.
We believe that showing off pays off. So before our students graduate, we like to give them a final chance to display their talents and share the Bodies of Work they’ve created.
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Student performances, productions, and screenings presented each year: 625
Student Publications: 7 (Columbia Chronicle, Columbia Poetry Review, Court Green, Echo Magazine, F Magazine, Hair Trigger, South Loop Review)
Galleries on campus: 8 (Mounting more than 75 shows each year)
Radio Station: 88.1 WCRX--our award winning student radio station streaming live at colum.edu/wcrx
Television Channel: Frequency TV--nominated for six Student Production Awards by the Television Academy in 2010
Record Label: AEMMP Records--released 10 albums since 2005, including the Independent Music Award winner Chompilation
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We believe that your education continues even when you step out of the classroom. That’s why we offer a number—a very large number, in fact—of opportunities to keep building your experience and your portfolio.
“ We meld theory and practice. We expect you to come in, to think, reflect, and then to do and make. Whether that’s as a playwright, whether that’s as a filmmaker or a poet, you will create an ever emerging body of work, and that body of work is what becomes central to your experience at Columbia.”
Mark Kelly, Vice President of Student Affairs
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THROW YOURSELF OUT THERE—
Waaay out there. Because a truly complete college experience means not just nourishing the passions you come here with, but the ones you pick up along the way, too. Student Life at Columbia is about much more than just joining a few clubs—it’s about everything you do, who you are, what you bring to the table, and what you take away from the table—your classes, your friends, your instructors, the campus, the city, your passion. We mean it; it should be a feeding frenzy of thoughts, experiences, and expressions. Your classes will expose you to new things every day, but there’s still much more: readings, film screenings, galleries, parties, art and photography exhibits, live music, symposiums, guest lecturers, theater and dance performances, academic clubs, social clubs, special interest clubs, fashion shows, and, of course, hanging out with new friends in diners and coffee shops and parks and in the dorms.
College should be about many, many different things. And they should all influence how you work and how you play. Not that you’ll be able to tell your work and play apart all that easily at Columbia—because, frankly, to us, they are one and the same.
Student Life
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BRILLIANT IDEAS DON’T MAKE APPOINTMENTS.They should be able to find you any time, day or night, no matter where you are. That’s why we designed our on-campus housing specially for you, the creative student.
On-Campus Housing: 2,700 Students 4 Residence Centers
A place to work on and develop your craft and
creative voice; a place to live with and connect with
other creative students from near and far who are
as passionate about their work as you are; spaces
designed for the specific needs of creative students—
all in the heart of Chicago, one of the most beautiful
and culturally rich cities in the world.
Columbia is home to the most innovative
student housing in the country. Each one of our
buildings has its own unique vibe and feel with a
range of layouts and amenities such as a renovated
loft space, or a brand-new state of the art residence
hall in Chicago’s thriving Printer’s Row neighborhood,
a luxury high rise with full kitchen and bath, incredible
views of the lake, a rooftop garden, fitness center,
food court, music practice rooms, art studios, and
laundry facilities.
And the best part? All of our buildings are right in the middle of campus, so you can wake up at 8:50 and still make your 9:00 class.
Living on Campus
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And we believe that future should include a healthy, nurturing planet on which you can continue to thrive.
To do our part in supporting our planet we’ve undertaken several green initiatives over the last several years, including extensive recycling of paper, plastic, aluminum, and techno trash (batteries, discs, and computers), the use of green cleaning supplies throughout campus, retrofitting light fixtures, and installing motion sensor controls which automatically turn off lights in spaces not being used. And in an ongoing effort to transform our buildings into more sustainable structures, we’ve added green roofs to some of them and have been working with the Clinton Climate Initiative to examine how to make our HVAC systems as efficient as possible.
Because when we say we strive to create a great environment in which our students can thrive and succeed, we really mean a great environment.
EVERYTHING WE DO HERE IS ABOUT GETTING YOU READY FOR THE FUTURE.
Sustainability
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The breadth and depth of our curriculum, our diverse student body, our prime location, our award-winning faculty—bump that up against our tuition (among the lowest of all private arts and media colleges in the U.S.)—and you can see what an incredible value a Columbia education is.
ZOOM OUT, CONSIDER IT ALL.
Value
If Columbia is “your school”, we want to make it
possible for you to experience everything Columbia
has to offer. Even with our very reasonable tuition
rates, we know some students may need a little
help to make it all happen. Columbia participates in
Federal and State Financial Aid programs, such as
the Pell Grant, Illinois MAP Award, Work-Study and
Loans. Columbia also offers merit and need-based
scholarships.
We can help students and families figure out
payment plans, parent loans, and identify sources to
seek out external scholarships that fit their individual
circumstances. We believe that with advanced
planning and a strong partnership, we can make
things happen.
We will work with you and your family to help you figure out if a Columbia education is a viable option, not just for your first year, but for all of your years here.
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At Columbia, students learn to be actors, filmmakers, photographers, journalists, painters, sculptors, poets, designers, directors, dancers, choreographers, or musicians.
Yes, they learn the elements of the art forms. But, more important, they are asked to rise to the highest standard of the arts. They are asked to use the forms to engage the world, learn and make meaning from it, to communicate with others, imagine new things and new ways the world can be, and to change themselves and the world in the process.
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IT WORKED FOR THEM, IT CAN WORK FOR YOU. Columbia Alums are everywhere.
They are winning Oscars in Hollywood, reporting live in major markets, writing their own columns in major dailies, and performing on television. They work for major corporations, they start their own businesses, they freelance, they dance, exhibit, edit, produce, animate, design, manage, compose, buy, perform, write, and direct with the best. How’d they get there? Well, of course, Columbia’s solid preparation gives students that all-important edge they can’t get any other way. But, let’s be honest...
Alumni
These are competitive fields we specialize in. You have to want it, be willing to work hard in pursuit of it and stay focused. It’s a winning combination that works, creating a synergy that puts you in control of your career.
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Mauro Fiore (B.A. Film), won the 2010 Oscar for Best
Cinematography for his work on the blockbuster Avatar.
Peter Schlesinger (’59) Producer and former governor, Television Academy of Arts and Sciences; 18-time Emmy Award Winner
Pat Sajak (68’) Host, Wheel of Fortune
Bill Phillips (B.A. ’72) VP of Original Productions, TBS & TNT
Len Amato (B.A. ’75) President, HBO Films
Steve Kmetko (B.A. ’76) Host, reporter (fmr.), E! Entertainment Tonight
Jeff Jur (B.A. ’76) Cinematographer, Dirty Dancing (1987) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Declan Quinn (B.A. ’79)Cinematographer, Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Michael Goi (B.A. ’80) President, American Society of Cinematographers Peter Teschner (’80), Editor, Borat (2006), Dodgeball (2004), Charlie’s Angels (2000) Hal Haenel (B.A. ’81) SVP, GM Studio Operations, 20th Century Fox Tod Lending (B.A. ’83) Documentarian, Academy Award nominee, Legacy (2002)
Mark Protosevich (B.A. ’83) Writer, I Am Legend (2007), Poseidon (2006), The Cell (2000) Bob Odenkirk (’84), Writer, Saturday Night Live (1987-1995); writer/creator/actor, Mr. Show with Bob and David Pepe Vargas (B.A. ’85) Founder and executive director, International Latino Cultural Center, presenter of the Chicago Latino Film Festival Dino Stamatopoulos (’86) Writer/creator, Morel Orel (CN) Scott Adsit (’87), Actor, 30 Rock (NBC) Andy Richter (’88) Actor, co-host, Conan with Conan O’Brien Mauro Fiore (B.A. ’87) Academy Award winning cinematographer, Avatar (2009) Janusz Kaminski (B.A. ’87) Two-time Academy Award winning cinematographer, Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Schindler’s List (1993)
Genndy Tartakovsky (’90) Creator, animator, Samurai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory (CN)
Bob Teitel (B.A. ’90) Producer, Men of Honor (2000), Barbershop (2002), Notorious (2009) Josefina Lopez (B.A. ’91) Writer, Real Women Have Curves (2002) George Tillman, Jr. (B.A. ’91) Director, Men of Honor (2000), Barbershop (2002), Notorious (2009) Cece DeStefano (B.A. ’94) Production designer, Melrose Place (CW), Chuck (NBC), Alias (NBC) Josh Liss (B.A. ’95) Sports director, morning sports anchor-WBBM Radio Paul Garnes (B.A. ’96) V.P. Production, Tyler Perry Studios Fred Pienkos (B.A. ’96) Visual effects supervisor, Spiderman 3 (2007) Erica Hubbard (B.A. ’99) Actor, Lincoln Heights (USA) Navid Mcllhargey (M.F.A. ’00) Executive producer, New Regency Productions Bob McNamara (’67) Senior news correspondent, CBS News Nick Charles (’70) Veteran blow-by-blow boxing announcer, ShoBox Joe Peyronnin (’70) Exec. VP Telemundo, fmr. VP CBS News
Alumni
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Chet Coppock (B.A. ’71) Veteran sports commentator, WLS Radio Ozier Muhammad (’72) Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist, The New York Times Dean Richards (B.A. ’76) Entertainment reporter, WGN-TV, WGN-Radio Pete Janos (B.A. ’80) West/Midwest Region Bureau Chief, CNN Mark Biello (B.A. ’83) Senior photojournalist, CNN Parisa Khosravi (B.A. ’87) Senior VP International Newgathering, CNN Mary Mitchell (B.A. ’91) Columist, Chicago Sun-Times Anita Padilla (B.A. ’91) Reporter, FOX Chicago Pablo Martinez Monsivias (B.A. ’94) Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist, Associated Press Sharon Mesmer (B.A. ’83) Poet, author, educator – Annoying Diabetic Bitch
Jay Bonansinga (M.A. ’88) Best-selling author Frozen, The Killer’s Game
Joe Meno (B.A. ’97, M.A. ’00) Author, Hairstyles of the Damned Sam Weller (B.A. ’90, M.A. ’01) Author/biographer, The Bradbury Chronicles Earl Sewell (’02) Best-selling author, Kimani Tru series Stephanie Kuehnert (B.A. ’03, M.F.A. ’06) Author, Ballads of Suburbia Marcus Sakey (’06) Best-selling author, The Blade Itself, Good People Ruth Thorne-Thomsen (B.F.A. ’74) Photographer Vandell Cobb (B.A. ’75) Photographer, Ebony Magazine Melissa Pinney (B.A. ’77) Photographer – Guggenheim-award winner Richard Izui (B.A. ’96) Photographer – Playboy Lana Fertelmeister (B.A. ’97) Jewelry designer Curtis Mann (M.F.A. ’08) Photographer – 2010 Whitney Biennial Nana Shineflug (M.A. ’86) Owner, The Chicago Moving Company
Eduardo Vilaro (M.A. ’01) Founder/Artistic Director, Luna Negra Dance Company
Margi Cole (B.A. ’90) Founder, The Dance COLEctive Chester Gregory (B.A. ’95) Actor, Broadway productions of Tarzan, Cry Baby, and Dreamgirls Tonya Pinkins (B.A. ’96) Tony Award winning actor, Jelly’s Last Jam (2002) Hettie Barnhill (B.A. ’06) Dancer, Broadway production of Fela! (2009) Paul Broucek (B.A. ’74) President, Music, Warner Brothers Pictures Common (’86) Recording artist and actor Nan Warshaw (M.A. ’93) Founder and co-owner, Bloodshot Records Melisa Young a.k.a. “Kid Sister” (B.A. ’04) Recording artist Jenny Brown (B.A. ’93) Activist, founder Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary Greg Woock (B.A. ’85) CEO and Founder, Pinger, Inc Jay Boersma (B.A. ’74) Creative Director at Playboy.com
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Columbia College Chicago600 South Michigan AvenueChicago, Illinois 60605312.369.1689TTY: 312.663.1689www.colum.edu
Undergraduate Admissions312.369.7130email: [email protected]
Graduate Admissions312.369.7260email: [email protected]
AccreditationColumbia College Chicago is accredited at the graduate and undergraduate levels by the Higher Learning Commission through the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and by the Illinois Office of Education. The College is Accredited as a Teacher training institution by the Illinois State Board of Education. For further information about Columbia’s accreditation, contact the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, 312.263.0456
Columbia is an independent and unaffiliated institution of higher education.
Equal OpportunityColumbia College Chicago complies with all local, state and federal laws and regulations concerning civil rights. Columbia College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities. Inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies should be directed to the college’s human resources office at 312.369.7592
DisclaimerThe policies, programs, activities, course offerings, descriptions, and faculty listed are subject to change without notice.
College Type: Private/Non-Profit/Four Year Degree Types: BA, BFA, BMus, Graduate programsAcademic Calendar: SemestersFounded: 1890Religious Affiliations: NoneSchool Size: 12,000 students Male-Female Ratio: 48:52Average Class Size: fewer than 20 students
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Image Credits: cover photo: Alexa Rubinstein (’09) inside spread, p. 0: Sarah McKemie (’08)p. 2: Scott Beahm (’09)p. 5: Misty De Berry (’09), Milkweed Performance p. 6-7: Nolan Wells p. 8: Alexa Rubinstein (’09)p. 10-11: Dianne Hlinsky (’10)p. 13: Monica Lewandowski, K14 p. 17: Shane Welch (’10)p. 18-19: Nolan Wellsp. 20: Joy Whalen (’05) p. 22-23: Drew Reynolds (’97) p. 25: Jeremy Lawson (’94)p. 27: Ruben Cantu Photography, Beast Production Stillp. 29: Brent Lewis p. 31: Alexa Rubinstein (’09) p. 32: Curtis Mann (’08) p. 35: Hendrich Blessing Photographers p. 36: Drew Reynolds (’97)p. 39, 41: Brad Betz p. 42: Andreas Larssonp. 44: Drew Reynolds (’97) p. 46: Brent Lewis p. 48: Shane Welch (’10) p. 50: Brad Betzp. 53: Alexa Rubinstein (’09)p. 54-55: Shane Welch (’10) p. 57: Sara Perez (’10), Fashion Designer, Photo: Joshua Hainsp. 59: Ben Reed (’06) p. 61: Tim Kleinp. 63: Annie Holm (’04), The Artist Incubatorp. 64-65: Brian Willard, Renunciation, 2010p. 66: Alexa Rubinstein (’09)p. 69: Steve Becker Photographyp. 72: Mike Mierendorfp. 75: Brooke Bergerp. 76-77: Tim Klein
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