February 6, 2019 — Columbia Journalism School announced today its plan to establish the Craig Newmark Center for Journalism Ethics and Security, to advance journalism ethics education and industry practice in the digital age. The Center is made possible by a $10 million endowment gift from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the personal organization of craigslist founder Craig Newmark, a member of the Columbia Journalism Review Board of Overseers. The gift will also create a new Craig Newmark Professorship to direct the Center.

Since Columbia University and the Lemann Foundation joined forces a decade ago, they have created an array of initiatives doing more for Brazil and more for Columbia students. To highlight the impact of ten years of partnership between the University and Jorge Paulo Lemann and the Lemann Foundation, Columbia produced a light-hearted video in vintage newsreel style.

Renowned Columbia economists Jagdish Bhagwati and Padma Desai contribute to the University in countless ways—as scholars, teachers, and experts in their fields. Now their impact at Columbia will go even further, supporting generations to come.

With a gift of $100,000 in December 2018, they established the Padma Desai Prize in Economic Science Fund in the Department of Economics. Income from the endowment fund will be used to award an annual prize to a PhD student in the Department of Economics who has delivered an outstanding dissertation. 

Phillip Smith '61CC, '69GSAPP and Doug Thompson '70GSAPP met as students at Columbia University in the late 1960s, leading to an extraordinary partnership in life and in work that flourishes to this day.