Our Mission
How does a university create global citizens? The Committee on Global Thought (CGT) explores globalization from an innovative, interdisciplinary perspective, and aims to rethink what information Columbia University students need to confront the challenges stemming from globalization.
CGT uses its research and programs to connect the social sciences with an increasingly global society through collaborative workshops, seminar courses and community events.
A great university constantly refreshes its inherited structures in an ever-changing world. CGT recognizes that many of the world’s problems, such as poverty, inequality and governance, fall increasingly in the spaces between academic disciplines. With that truth in mind, President Lee Bollinger appointed Columbia University's most distinguished faculty to the Committee, from departments including Anthropology, Law, Political Science, Sociology and Economics to explore these gaps.
Chaired by Nobel Laureate University Professor Joseph Stiglitz, the professors who make up the Committee are among the most prestigious scholars in their fields. CGT’s initial aim is to identify underrepresented viewpoints that link disciplines. In so doing, CGT will augment the University’s engagement with issues of globalization.