From the President

Greetings from CC!

» During its 172-year existence, Columbia College has risen to embrace challenges of historic proportions and turned them into stunning transformative changes. Along the way the college has earned a reputation for being a thought leader in higher education and a purveyor of quality educational opportunities for students here in Missouri and across the country.

To mark our successes, this edition of Affinity celebrates the 50th anniversary of Columbia College Global and honors four recipients of 2023 Columbia College Alumni Awards who have made their mark in the world.

The yearlong anniversary celebration of Columbia College Global provides us with an opportunity to honor our past, celebrate the present and envision our future. It was indeed fitting to welcome directors and team members from our nationwide locations to main campus in March to help kick off the recognition of such important milestones as the decision to launch our groundbreaking Online Program in 2000. The Online Program continues to be an important conduit for engaging both adult learners and military-affiliated students and their families. We’re proud of our continued association with these important learners. Events are taking place around the country throughout the year to mark Columbia College Global’s 50th anniversary. Thanks to those of you who have joined in these festivities and those who will in the months to come.

Congratulations also are in order for this year’s tremendous slate of Alumni Awards honorees. Jolene Marra Schulz ’61 (Distinguished Alumna), Dr. Terry Smith (Honorary Alumnus), Bill Seibert ’09 (Professional Achievement) and Michael Garver ’03 ’13 (Community Service) collectively represent the best of what our institution is about. I encourage you to learn more about these impressive individuals on pages 28-37.

Finally, I would like to share with you some exciting news from the Higher Learning Commission, which is our major accrediting body. HLC conducted its 10-year reaccreditation visit to main campus this spring. The team of peer reviewers published a highly complimentary report declaring that Columbia College met all five of the criteria for full accreditation without any concerns or reservations. This visit was our chance to shine, and we most certainly did.

I was particularly proud that the inspection team praised our continued active commitment to serving our traditional and nontraditional students. The HLC report commended the college for its commitment to academic excellence and putting our students first in everything we do. The team also singled out our intensive planning for the future, as evidenced by our new strategic plan and the introduction of new academic programs that are responsive to what students need to succeed in their future endeavors.

I wish you fun times with family and friends this summer and invite you to play an active part in the vibrant activities happening behind Rogers Gate and across our global footprint in the year ahead.

Dr. David Russell, President