"Who owns New York?" asks one of Columbia's fight songs. The song's answer is C-O-L-U-M-B-I-A. If that is true, then the deed to the city would be in the name of the Trustees of Columbia University.

So what does this shadowy body of 24 men and women who meet in secret do?

Columbia's Trustees have the final say about everything that happens at the school. From the construction of new athletic facilities to how the school spends its endowment to the naming of the faculty and major administrative appointments, a Trustee vote is the final word in what happens throughout the University. In the hunt for Columbia's next President, Trustees will account for seven seats on the 13-member search committee.

So who are these people?

They are mostly lawyers and business people, all of whom have achieved a degree from one of Columbia's many schools. The exception is the University President, who has a seat as well.

The Chair of the Board is Stephen Friedman, a former chairman of Goldman Sachs. He has led the board since 1997. He is, however, far from the board's most celebrated name.

Television pioneer Roone Arledge sits on the board, though he is better known for creating Monday Night Football and running ABC's news division.

Other names might be recognized from the sides of buildings and plaques above doors around campus. There's Robert Kraft (Center), Alfred Lerner (Hall), and Philip Milstein (Library).

Kraft and Lerner share a common interest in professional football. Lerner (also Vice Chair of the board) and Kraft own the National Football League's Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots respectively. On Dec. 9, their teams will meet in the second Trustee Bowl. Last season Lerner's Browns beat Kraft's Patriots 19-11.

Also from the world of sports comes Board Vice Chair David Stern. Stern serves as commissioner of the National Basketball Association.

Columbia Trustees are elected for a maximum of two, six-year terms. Twelve are chosen solely by the Trustees, six by the Trustees and the executive committee of the University Senate, and six are elected, one each year, after nomination by the University's alumni.

The idea of the Board of Trustees dates back to the University's founding in 1754, thanks to King George III. When George chartered King's College, he created a Board of Governors to look after the school's interests. The Governors have since been renamed the Trustees. The Trustees have met in the same room in Low Library since 1897. The room houses Columbia's 247-year-old original charter. --Michael Mirer