Media Contact: Micki Leventhal, 312-344-7383; mleventhal@colum.edu
Chicago, May 23, 2003 -- In an overwhelming show of support the Columbia College Chicago Board of Trustees unanimously approved the renewal of college president Dr. Warrick L. Carter's contract for another four years.
"Warrick has shown outstanding vision during his first three years," says board chairman Bill Hood. "With his background in higher education and the arts, as well as in the corporate environment, he is very well-equipped to captain the Columbia team during the challenging economic times. He provides the strong leadership Columbia needs to continue to grow as a leader in accessible, quality, results-oriented arts, media and communications education."
Carter is completing the third year of his first four-year contract at Columbia. He has overseen the academic restructuring of the institution and a broad-based, award-winning initiative to enhance the urban college's delivery of student services. He has been instrumental in the development of the board of trustees with the addition of important names in the arts, media and corporate sectors including Allan Turner (Pritzker & Pritzker), Robert Shaye (New Line Cinema), Shelley Rosen (McDonald's Corporation), Debra Martin Chase (Martin Chase Productions) and Steve Devick (DigitalEA).
The college, which offers degrees in twenty undergraduate and nine graduate areas of study, has continued to experience record growth during Carter's tenure.
"More than 1,400 undergraduates and 300 graduates will receive their degrees this Spring," says Carter. "These numbers reflect not only the college's recent recruitment success, but also our ongoing efforts to improve our retention rate."
The issue of retention has been an ongoing challenge at Columbia, where an open admissions policy and providing access to higher education is central to the college's mission and commitment to diversity.
"Virtually all of our efforts in the student services area are focused on the retention goal," explains Carter. "We're not just about letting young people through the front door. We are 100% committed to providing the supports necessary to helping these kids obtain the education they need to achieve their goals, succeed in their careers and go on, as we say in our marketing materials, 'to author the culture of their times'."
In other board action at the May 22 meeting, the trustees approved a motion to sell the president's residence, a move initiated by Carter. The institution has taken some media heat over the Gold Coast residence, which was purchased before Carter was hired.
"The issue of the house has been an unremitting source of controversy over the past couple of years and it's time to move on to other more important business of the college such as continuing to enhance student services, faculty, classroom and technical facilities and raising money for student scholarships," notes Carter. "We're looking forward with confidence to a bright future for Columbia."