Education - A Neighborhood in Transition

From A Neighborhood in Transition

Education

By Anna Kodra and Kimberley Kearns

View Morningside Heights in a larger map

1 Introduction
2 Columbia University
3 Other Institutions of Higher Education in Morningside Heights
- 3.1 Manhattan School of Music
- 3.2 Other Institutions of Higher Education in Morningside Heights
4 Schools in Morningside Heights
- 4.1 Grade K-8 Schools
  - 4.1.1 The School at Columbia University
  - 4.1.2 Some Other Area Grade K-8 Schools
- 4.2 High Schools
  - 4.2.1 The Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts
5 References

Introduction

Morningside Heights is located roughly between 110th and 125th Streets in Manhattan. It is home to a number of educational institutions; most well known is Columbia University.

Of the nearly 93,000 residents of the area, in terms of minor residents, approximately 82 are enrolled in preschool, 520 in kindergarten, 2,048 in grades 1-4, 2,674 in grades 5-8, and 519 in high school.

Education Statistics

High School Diploma	12.3%
College Diploma	28.7%
Graduate Diploma	35.6%

Columbia University

Photograph courtesy of Eileen Barroso

Background

Morningside Heights is dominated by Columbia University, located on West 116th Street and Broadway and stretching over a 36-acre area.

Columbia University is a member of the "Ivy League," along with seven other universities in the United States - Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania - all of which have international reputations of great academic prestige. Naturally, then, Columbia draws some of the nation's and the world's top-ranked and most ambitious students both to its university and to the area it is situated in, Morningside Heights.

Columbia: Past and Present

Columbia was first founded in 1754 as Kings College, making it the oldest institution of higher education in New York State. It was originally located downtown near present-day City Hall, and then on 42nd Street and Madison Avenue. It was officially named Columbia in 1784, shortly after the American Revolution, reflecting the patriotic and independent spirit of the nascent United States of the period. In 1897, Columbia moved to its present Morningside Heights campus, which is much more spacious than its previous two homes.

Columbia University is composed of several schools: Columbia College, the Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of General Studies. In addition, it has its own hospital, the Columbia University Medical Center on 168th Street, and is affiliated with Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Columbia Campus

In 2007, Columbia University had 24,923 students, graduate and undergraduate. It has one of the lowest rates of admission of American colleges and universities, revealing its competitive nature, with only 9% of applicants accepted in 2007. About 22% of students who attend Columbia are from countries outside of the United States, which lends to the diversity of the University's neighborhood, Morningside Heights.

The mission statement of Columbia University reads:

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

With 50% of its class of 2012 identifying themselves as students "of color" and hailing from 42 countries (not including the United States), Columbia appears to be in line with its goal of attaining a "diverse...student body."

Expansion

A long-time issue of contention between Morningside Heights residents and Columbia University is Columbia University's continued expansion of its campus. Many residents feel that, while the University's presence reduces crime rates and adds to the community's sense of culture, it can also be very inconsiderate towards residents in its constant moves to expand the campus, often pushing residents out forcibly or leaving them no choice but to leave due to rises in the costs of living, such as rent.

Learn More

If you wish to learn more about residents' views on Columbia's expansion, see the official website for the Coalition to Preserve Community's "Stop Columbia" campaign, found here.

You may find more information about Columbia University on Columbia University's official website, which can be accessed here.

Other Institutions of Higher Education in Morningside Heights

Though Morningside Heights is famously home to Columbia University, several other institutions of higher education exist in the area as well.

Manhattan School of Music

Manhattan School of Music holds some of the most talented musicians this side of the Atlantic. With 275 faculty members, and just over 800 students from 40 countries, this is a small private college.

Manhattan School of Music, founded in 1917, is located on Clearmont Ave. near Broadway and W 122 St. Manhattan School of Music was originally The Julliard School [until Julliard moved down near Lincoln Center area. Admission to the School is based on a live audition. In 2005, MSM received 863 total applications, and admitted 287, for a total acceptance rate of 33%. At the present time, 75 percent of the students come from outside New York State and 47 percent from outside the United States.

Other Institutions of Higher Education in Morningside Heights

Barnard College

Union Theological Seminary

New York Theological Seminary

Bank Street College of Education

Teachers College

Jewish Theological Seminary of America

Schools in Morningside Heights

Although the neighborhood is best known for the institutions of higher education that are located there, Morningside Heights also has numerous elementary, middle, and high schools to educate its younger residents.

List of schools

Grade K-8 Schools

The School at Columbia University

The School at Columbia University is located on 556 West 110th Street and, as the name might suggest, is a part of Columbia University. It is a kindergarten through eighth grade level school, and local-area students are admitted by lottery. Currently, the student body is composed of 487 students.

For more information, visit The School at Columbia University's official site, found here.

Some Other Area Grade K-8 Schools

St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's

Cathedral School

P.S. 36: Margaret Douglas School

P.S. 76: A. Philip Randolph School

P.S. 125: Ralph Bunche School

P.S. 165: Robert E. Simon School

P.S. 180: Hugo Newman School

High Schools

The Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts

The Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts is located on 215 West 114th Street. It hosts students from grades 6 - 12, and is specialized in the visual and performing arts, which include, as stated in the school's mission: "instrumental music, theatre, dance, fine art and culinary art."

For more information, please visit the school's official website, by following this link.