Robert Frederick Smith

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.

Along with its excellent faculty and facilities, Cornell University boasts a beautiful location in the Finger Lakes region of central New York. The huge hillside campus overlooks Lake Cayuga and is crisscrossed by deep gorges and bridges. Cornell is unique among the Ivy League universities in that its agricultural program is part of the state school system. Cornell is well known for its schools of engineering and hotel management. Its strengths in research and instruction have earned it membership in the Association of American Universities, and Cornell can also boast of a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Cornell's athletic teams are called the Big Red.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum established in 2003. The museum's building is currently under construction on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The concept of a national museum dedicated to African-American history and culture can be traced back to the second decade of the 20th century. In 1915, African-American veterans of the Union Army met in Washington, D.C., for a reunion and parade. Frustrated with the racial discrimination they still faced, the veterans formed a committee to build a memorial to various African-American achievements. Their efforts paid off in 1929, when President Herbert Hoover appointed Mary Church Terrell, Mary McLeod Bethune, and 10 others to a commission charged with building a "National Memorial Building" showcasing African-American achievements in the arts and sciences. But Congress did not back the project, and private fundraising also failed. Although proposals for an African-American history and culture museum would be floated in Congress for the next 40 years, none gained more than minimal support.

Representative from Massachusetts's 4th Congressional District

Former President of United States

Former President of United States