Dr. Kwang-Wu Kim
2013–2024

Dr. Kwang-Wu Kim, a native of Chicago’s Hyde Park, is a passionate advocate for the arts and the transformative role of creative practice in society. A concert pianist and seasoned academic leader, he currently serves as Professor of Music and formerly led the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University, overseeing six schools and nearly 5,000 students. Dr. Kim holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and Artist Diploma from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, and a BA in philosophy from Yale. His previous roles include president of the Longy School of Music and leadership in arts organizations such as El Paso Pro-Musica. A founding member of the Alliance for Arts in Research Universities (a2ru), supported by the Mellon Foundation, he has championed interdisciplinary collaboration across the arts, sciences, and engineering. Internationally recognized as a performer and educator, he has appeared at leading institutions and festivals including Marlboro, Banff, and Stanford.

Dr. Warrick L. Carter
2000–2013

Dr. Warrick L. Carter (1942–2017) served as President of Columbia College Chicago from 2000 to 2013, leading a transformative era of growth that included major campus expansion, the creation of Columbia’s three-school academic structure, and the establishment of the college’s first new construction, the Media Production Center. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia, Dr. Carter earned degrees from Tennessee State University and Michigan State University, where he completed his Ph.D. in music education. His career spanned roles as a music educator, composer, performer, and administrator, including leadership positions at Governors State University, Berklee College of Music, and Walt Disney Entertainment. An influential voice in arts education and African American music, he lectured internationally and consulted for major arts organizations and governments. His performance credits include collaborations with the Boston Pops Jazz Quartet, Clark Terry, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. A two-time recipient of the National Black Music Caucus Achievement Award, he also served on numerous national and international arts boards, leaving a legacy of innovation, advocacy, and cultural impact.

Dr. John B. Duff
1992–2000

Dr. John B. Duff (1931–2013) served as president of Columbia College Chicago from 1992 to 2000, during which he led the institution’s first long-range planning effort, oversaw the acquisition of its first residence hall, expanded development initiatives, and officially changed its name to Columbia College Chicago. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, he earned degrees from Fordham University, Seton Hall University, and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Prior to Columbia, he held numerous groundbreaking leadership roles, including becoming the first lay provost at Seton Hall, the founding president of UMass–Lowell, the first chancellor of the Massachusetts Board of Regents, and the first non-librarian to serve as commissioner of the Chicago Public Library, where he led the construction of the Harold Washington Library. A historian and author, his works include The Structure of American History and The Irish in the United States. He retired to Palm Desert, California, where he passed away in 2013.

Mirron “Mike” Alexandroff
1961–1992

Mirron “Mike” Alexandroff (1923–2001) served as president of Columbia College Chicago from 1961 to 1992, transforming it from a small, struggling institution into a nationally recognized college for the arts and media. A South Side Chicago native and U.S. Army veteran, he held degrees from Roosevelt University and Columbia College and began his career at Columbia’s Psychological Guidance Center. Succeeding his father, Norman Alexandroff, as president, he championed open enrollment, diversity, and industryconnected faculty, growing enrollment from under 200 to over 7,000 and acquiring the college’s first permanent buildings. Under his leadership, Columbia gained accreditation, launched graduate programs, and became a major force in the South Loop. A civic and cultural leader, Alexandroff received numerous honors, including the Clarence Darrow Award and an honorary doctorate from DePaul University. He retired in 1992, authored A Different Drummer about the College’s history, and was honored posthumously with the declaration of “Mirron ‘Mike’ Alexandroff Day” in Illinois.

Norman Alexandroff
1944–1960

Norman Alexandroff (born Nime Kulczinsky, 1887–1960) was a Russian-born Jewish immigrant who fled persecution, arriving in the U.S. in 1904 with $5 and training as a locksmith. Self-educated and fluent in English, he became a noted speaker, writer, and advocate for immigrant education, co-founding the Literary Association of America and organizing reading centers for foreign-born citizens. After marrying educator Cherrie Phillips, he moved to Chicago and launched influential radio programs, including Pages from Life and Cavalcade of America, while also conducting national research on children and media. He joined Columbia in 1934 to develop a radio curriculum and became its president in 1944, leading its transition to an independent institution and expanding services to WWII veterans. He also founded Columbia campuses in Mexico City and Los Angeles and continued to champion the arts, education, and rehabilitation programs until his death in 1960.

Herman Hofer Hegner
1936–1944

Herman Hofer Hegner (1902–1973) was an influential Chicago educator and president of the Pestalozzi Froebel Teachers College (PFTC), founded by his mother, Bertha Hofer Hegner, a pioneer of kindergarten education in the U.S. Trained under the legacy of European educational reformers Pestalozzi and Froebel, Hegner became acting president of PFTC in 1930 and officially succeeded his mother in 1936. He played a key role in the college’s close affiliation with Columbia from 1927 to 1944, hiring Norman Alexandroff to develop a radio curriculum that helped revitalize both institutions. Hegner served on the board of the National Artists’ Foundation, supporting arts-based learning initiatives until his death in 1973.

Bertha Hofer Hegner
1929–1936

Bertha Hofer Hegner (1862–1937) was a pioneering educator and founder of the Pestalozzi-Froebel Teachers College (PFTC) in Chicago, a leading institution for kindergarten and primary teacher training. Educated in the U.S. and Germany under the legacy of Friedrich Froebel, she launched the first kindergarten at the Chicago Commons Settlement and founded PFTC in 1896, serving as its president until 1936. She also played a key role in acquiring Columbia College of Expression in 1927, serving as its president until her retirement. In addition to her educational leadership, she supported her husband, Rev. Herman Frederick Hegner, in his ministry before he joined her in expanding the college. A respected member of national early childhood education organizations, she authored Home Activities in the Kindergarten for the U.S. Bureau of Education. Hegner retired in 1929 due to illness and was named president emeritus in 1936, passing away the following year in Chicago.

Rev. Dr. George L. Scherger
1927–1929

Dr. George L. Scherger (1874–1941) was a German-American educator, historian, minister, and writer who served as president of Columbia from 1927 to 1929. Born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, to German immigrant parents, he earned degrees from Indiana University, studied in Leipzig and Berlin, and received his Ph.D. from Cornell in 1899. He was a longtime professor of history at the Armour Institute of Technology and began teaching at Columbia in 1915, eventually becoming Dean of multiple departments. An accomplished author and lecturer, he wrote extensively on history and political science and was a popular speaker on the Chautauqua circuit. Scherger also served as pastor of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and superintendent of the Armour Mission. He was honored by the German Red Cross in 1936 and passed away in 1941, with notable public figures serving as his pallbearers.

Ida Morey Riley
1890–1901

Ida Morey Riley (1856–1901) was a pioneering educator and co-founder of the Columbia School of Oratory (now Columbia College Chicago). Born in Mercer County, Illinois, and later raised in Iowa, she began her career as a teacher and principal before studying oration at Emerson School of Oratory in Boston, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Encouraged by her mentor and collaborator Mary A. Blood, she moved to Chicago in 1890 to establish Columbia, dedicated to the teaching of elocution and expression. Riley also served as secretary and board member of the National Association of Elocutionists. She passed away in 1901 and is buried beside her husband in Ashley, Ohio.

Mary Ann Blood
1890–1927

Mary Ann Blood (1851–1927) was an influential educator and founder of the Columbia School of Oratory in Chicago. Born in Hollis, New Hampshire, she trained as a teacher at Framingham Normal School and earned a degree in Oratory from Monroe College of Oratory (now Emerson College), where she also taught and served on the board. After teaching in Iowa, she partnered with Ida Morey Riley to establish Columbia in 1890, promoting the Emerson System of Physical Culture and training students for careers in speech, dramatics, and the Chautauqua lecture circuit. Blood led the school for 37 years, helping it gain state recognition and accreditation. She was active in the National Association of Elocutionists and other community groups, passing away at the college she founded in 1927.