Driving Core Innovation Through Technology

Throughout his distinguished academic career, business scholar Marshall Meyer Ph.D.’64 has led many classroom discussions akin to those that so captivated him as a student of the Core.

The first of those discussions took place at The University of Chicago, where Meyer taught Social Sciences 1, which he describes as a “version of Contemporary Civilization,” on his way to earning a Ph.D. in sociology. From 1998 to 2014, Meyer taught a doctoral course at Penn’s Wharton School on classic texts in psychology and sociology, among them Karl Marx’s Manifesto of the Communist Party, a CC mainstay. This spring, he is teaching an intensive version of that course at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

“That’s how it lives on with me,” Meyer says of the Core. “It influences profoundly my understanding of the nature of knowledge and it’s shaped what I teach. I’ve lived with the format, if not the exact content, of [Contemporary Civilization] much of my professional life.”

Meyer, the Tsai Wan-Tsai Professor Emeritus and Emeritus Professor of Management at Wharton, is an expert on organizational performance and management in China. He attributes that interest in part to the Core, which inspired him to explore new contexts.

“I’ve always had a taste for different experiences,” says Meyer. “Some of that relates to being 18 or 19 and having all these ideas thrown at me.”

Given Meyer’s relationship with the Core, it is no surprise that he and his wife, attorney Judith Meyer BC’66 — who took and enjoyed courses at the College — have made a contribution to the Core to Commencement campaign intended to foster the kind of discussion he has relished as a student and as a teacher.

With their $250,000 gift, the Meyers established a Second Century Fund, a current-use fund that will enable the Core to incorporate new technologies and innovation, such as online resources that expand the intellectual content of the Core for faculty and students. Roosevelt Montás CC’95, GSAS’04, Director of the Center for the Core, sees the Second Century Fund as crucial to continuing the relevance and impact of the Core for today’s generation of students. “Changes in the way we communicate with each other and interact with our world are transforming the landscape in which a Core education unfolds. The Second Century Fund is a challenge for us to think hard about and take advantage of these developments to deepen the student experience of this unique and celebrated part of the Columbia College education. ”

Advanced technologies will also enable the College to offer alumni opportunities to participate in Mini-Core Courses. Participants will reread their Core texts together, perhaps with a faculty or student moderator, and engage in thought provoking-discussion.

Meyer hopes his gift will “add depth to the Core experience” and create “richer interaction” among students, faculty and alumni. “If students can reach out to each other electronically, it is possible they’ll be able to work together even more effectively,” he says.

Meyer, who has been a Class Agent for the Columbia College Fund, was inspired to reconnect with alma mater after attending his 50th reunion in 2014. “One thing that struck me — in fact, it nearly overwhelmed me — was the depth and richness of experiences people had,” he recalls. “It was really great to see that.”