Professor Qin Gao has been officially appointed Director of Columbia University’s Asian American Initiative (AAI), following a year as Acting Director. Under her leadership, AAI has advanced its mission through interdisciplinary research, community engagement, and student-centered programming. Guided by its Data, Narrative, and Action (DNA) framework, AAI continues to promote Asian American studies, amplify diverse voices, and translate research into meaningful social impact.
The China Center for Social Policy at Columbia University’s School of Social Work is pleased to announce its new academic partnership with the Qi Social Innovation Center, supporting two of the Qi Center’s flagship youth programs: Fellowship For Change (FFC) and Venture For Change (VFC). Through this partnership, the Center looks forward to advancing opportunities for young people to engage with pressing social challenges, explore innovative solutions, and develop the knowledge and skills to create meaningful social impact through social innovation and entrepreneurship.
2026 Richard Rockefeller Fellows Explore Strategic Philanthropy and U.S.-China Relations at Columbia
The 2026 Richard Rockefeller Fellowship brought eight nonprofit and social impact leaders from China to Columbia for two days of lectures, dialogue, and institutional visits focused on philanthropy, social impact, and U.S.-China engagement.
On February 18, 2026, the Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW) community welcomed the Lunar New Year—also known as the Spring Festival—one of the most important and widely celebrated holidays across many Asian cultures around the world. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2026 marks the Year of the Fire Horse, symbolizing energy, vitality, and renewal.
“If you don’t see inequality, you can’t address it.”
“A good representation . . . can be translated into policy, into action,” acting director of Columbia’s Asian American Initiative says of the new mayor's appointees.
The Columbia China Center for Social Policy congratulates our Founding Director Qin Gao, Maurice V. Russell Professor of Social Policy and Social Work Practice and Associate Dean for Doctoral Education at the School of Social Work, on being appointed the Acting Director of the Asian American Initiative (AAI) at Columbia University! Dr. Gao brings extensive experience in researching poverty, inequality, social policy, and population well-being to her new role, strengthening the Initiative’s commitment to advancing equity and inclusion through research and public engagement.
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Key Findings:
- Nearly 40% of Chinese Americans report having limited English proficiency, based on data from nearly 6,500 respondents in the State of Chinese Americans 2022 Survey.
- Chinese Americans with lower English proficiency are significantly more likely to report poor self-rated mental health.
- Those who do not speak English "at all" report fair or poor mental health at nearly four times the rate of those who speak English "very well."
The Columbia China Center for Social Policy hosted a vibrant half-day Lightning Talks event on July 24. 2025, bringing together 35 scholars from 26 institutions across Asia and North America. Held in hybrid format at Columbia School of Social Work and via Zoom, the event served as a platform for intellectual exchange on timely topics in social policy and career development, with representation from impact evaluation, comparative research, and field-based inquiry.
The “Offer Series Workshops” returned with its highly anticipated third session, “Mock Interview BootCamp,” held on April 11, 2025, at Interchurch 320C, Columbia University. Led once again by Dr. Michael Mingming Zhu, this session shifted the focus from strategy to execution, emphasizing live practice, real-time feedback, and personalized coaching. Building on the structured approaches introduced in earlier workshops, this session was designed as a hands-on training ground for international students seeking to sharpen their interview skills under realistic conditions.
Yingqi Chen, a doctoral student at the School of Government, Nanjing University, spent a year (January to December 2024) as a visiting scholar at Columbia University School of Social Work and the Columbia China Center for Social Policy. In a recent written interview, she shared her research and experiences as a visiting scholar at Columbia University.