Columbia University faces backlash over plans to open Tel Aviv research center

Columbia University will open a "Global Center" in Tel Aviv, which will focus on climate change, technology, entrepreneurship, arts, the humanities, biology, health, and medicine. The decision has been met with opposition from some faculty members who cite Israeli human rights violations and the country's current government. However, supporters argue that the centers are independent of their host countries' governments and that Israel has a better human rights record than other countries where the university has centers.