<p>smart guy - imagine if columbia had been better toward the college over the course of the 20th century, and we could also imagine the university having an even greater reputation.</p>
<p>for most of the 20th century no single division i’d say was considered to be the agent of columbia’s fortune, but the general perception that columbia had coalesced the single greatest pantheon of professors throughout all disciplines. for awhile they had the premiere historians (hofstadter, barzun), the premiere literary critic (lionel trilling), deans in the world of chemistry and physics, the precursor to the chicago school. FDRs brain trust was primarily from columbia. c. wright mills was the most influential sociologist of the middle 20th century based at columbia. many exiles after the war got their start at columbia. columbia had widely considered the best philosophy department, english department, history, physics, chemistry and economics - by a long shot.</p>