Our Mission
Our mission is to prepare each student personally and professionally for success through liberal arts and professional programs that emphasize service, social justice, and leadership development.
The Four Cs: Our Leadership Purpose
We believe leadership begins with the decision to use your education for good. The Four Cs guide that journey and shape the way our students learn, grow, and show up in the world:
- Courage — Step up. Pursue your goals and embrace the challenges that come with growth.
- Commitment — Step in. Honor the values that define you and fuel your contribution.
- Confidence — Step out. Take action, seize opportunity, and use your voice.
- Competence — Step back. Reflect, learn, and continuously elevate your effectiveness.
Together, these Four Cs reflect the kind of leaders we develop, bold, principled, and ready to create real and lasting change.
The Columbia College of the future is a model of intentional liberal arts education, a champion of inquiry-based and experiential learning, and a catalyst for community transformation.
Core Values
Academic Excellence
High expectations for preparing our students for lifelong learning through a liberal arts education that promotes critical thinking and personal growth, and provides career preparation and mastery of a range of transferable skills.
Student Success
Creating innovative learning environments and providing support services that are nurturing and hold the students accountable for their success.
Engaged Campus Community
A diverse set of backgrounds and perspectives, a sense of belonging, and feeling welcomed.
Service to Community
Responsibility to give back to the community, to collaborate, and to seek meaningful experiences and opportunities for leadership for all.
Columbia College History
Founded in 1854 by the Methodist Conference of South Carolina, Columbia College first opened its doors as Columbia Female College on what is now Hampton Street in downtown Columbia. Students began their studies there in October 1859.
During the Civil War, the College closed temporarily as General Sherman’s troops approached the city, reopening in 1873 to continue its mission of educating and empowering women. In 1904, following a generous land donation from Frederick H. Hyatt and Col. John T. Sloan, the College relocated to its current home in Eau Claire and officially became Columbia College.
In 1964, a devastating fire destroyed the Old Main classroom building and the East Wing residence hall. The remaining columns from Old Main — still standing today — became a powerful symbol of the College’s resilience, rising to prominence as a centerpiece of our identity and logo.
Over more than 170 years, Columbia College has continued to evolve while honoring its heritage. Now a coeducational institution serving approximately 1,500 students across undergraduate and graduate programs, we remain committed to educating leaders who strengthen their communities and shape a better future.
Alma Mater
We sing the praise of her we love,
We lift on high her name in song,
White as the gleaming stars above,
Columbia, mother, great and strong,
She who has been shall ever be,
Wise, good, and true eternally;
No stain shall touch the purity
Of our Columbia College.