Stand, Columbia : a history of Columbia University in the City of New York, 1754-2004

This comprehensive history of Columbia University extends from the prefounding discussions about New York City being "a fit Place for a colledge" in 1704 to the inauguration of Lee Bollinger as president and the preparations for the University's 250th anniversary.

One of the original "Colonial Nine" schools, Columbia's distinctive history has been intertwined with the history of New York City.

Located first in lower Manhattan, then in midtown and now on Morningside Heights, Columbia's national and international stature have been inextricably identified with its urban setting.;Columbia was also the first of America's "multiversities", moving beyond its original character as a college dedicated to undergraduate instruction.

The professions of medicine, law, architecture and journalism have all looked to the graduates and faculty of Columbia's schools in these fields to provide for their ongoing leadership and vitality.

The university remains today a major producer of Ph.D's in the humanities, the social sciences, and education.

But it is perhaps as a contributor of ideas and voice to the broad discourse of American intellectual life that Columbia has most distinguished itself.

From "The Federalist Papers", written by Columbians John Jay and Alexander Hamilton, to Charles Beard's "An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution" and Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" to Edward Said's "Orientalism", Columbia and its graduates have greatly influenced American intellectual and public life.

This volume also examines the experiences of immigrants, women, Jews, African Americans and other groups as it takes critical measure of the University's efforts to become more inclusionary, more reflective of the diverse city that it calls home.