The event? Columbia Goes Global. But what does that mean? Inside Low Library we heard answers from those who are working to make 'Global Columbia' a reality. 

Kenneth Prewitt, Vice President for Global Centers, kicked off the event saying, "The President of Columbia University has said very clearly and I think correctly that he does not believe that any University can be a great University or even a serious University in the 21st Century, which is not a global university. Having said that, however, he didn't give us the next sentence and define exactly what a global university was."

 How Global is Columbia right now? Prewitt adds, "At what point will we be on all the major continents? And that will happen within a year. We are relatively certain that we will open a center in Nairobi in the fall and in Santiago Chile in the Spring which will bring us to seven centers."

For President of Barnard College Deborah Spar, the word "globalization" has many meanings - but in the context of Columbia - she explains it as an economic concept. She said, "I've really come to hate the word globalization. I hate the word [clapping] oh, thank you! Everybody throws it out, all the time, and I don't think there's ever any agreement on what the heck we're actually talking about."

An economist in her own right, Spar defined globalization in a university context as either an export or an import model, and defined education as its product. Spar explained: "What do I mean when I say the US has had an export focus in education? An export focus is about setting up campuses abroad. You literally at some level almost take the bricks and mortar, you take the faculty, you take the textbooks, pick 'em up and you put 'em down in another place. That's an export model. And you make money from doing it."

While Spar explored the bottom line, Dean of General Studies Peter Awn defined 'going global' quite differently: "What is most important for us is the challenge to yes, celebrate what is incredibly valuable about the liberal arts model of undergraduate education but also to come up with those opportunities and engagements both humanly and intellectually that allow American students and students from around the world to truly become world citizens."  Is this too lofty a goal? Not according to Dean Moody Adams: "Columbia College already has 25-30% of its students engaging some kind of institutionally-sponsored experience abroad. Is it enough? My argument is no."

Is studying abroad important to students? For undergrad Erica Kassman, CC 2011, it is crucial. She said, "To become globally aware, you have to know how to address these problems, to have an open mind, to learn from the ground up, to learn about someone's history, their culture, their art, from primary sources. And to have intellectual professors and also a community that fosters expanding that beyond just the classroom."

So, get ready to pack your bags Columbians - because the opportunities to "go global" begin right here.