Five pillars theory

Somewhat controversial theory formulated by Tao Tan in 2004.

Basically, it goes like this. There are five pillars that define the greatness of a university. They are (in no particular order):

• Undergraduate education and quality of life
• Law
• Business
• Medicine
• Science & engineering

Columbia's institutional agenda ought to focus on strengthening those five pillars, and not things like sustainable development, globalization, public health, arts, or postmodernist feminist deconstructionist antihegemonist critiques of Marxism.