Our work is not only to educate students in the classroom, but also to ensure they are ready for a future they cannot predict. We are preparing students for success after Commencement by offering opportunities to study abroad in even more locations, by connecting them with high-quality internships and career opportunities, by giving them access to life-changing fellowships, by providing funding to conduct research in laboratories on campus and in cities around the globe, and through new programs that start conversations and change minds.
Wrestling with the Uncertainties of Research
“I was fortunate to be forced into the discomfort and challenge presented by scientific research and to learn lessons that I hope will serve me well in my aspirations for the future.” — Junghoon Kim ’16
Balancing Science and Humanities
“I returned from my time in Poland with a profound sense of peace in having found a balance between my scientific pursuits and my love of the humanities.” — Alixandra Prybyla ’18
Navigating the French Archives
“From my archival experience this summer… I’ve been given a chance to contribute my voice to the rapidly evolving narrative of my area of study.” —Wallace Teska ’16
Interning to the Edge of Space
“Thanks to Columbia’s Work Exemption Program, I have been able to explore the limits of my intellectual capabilities while researching the boundaries of the known universe.” — Francesca Jarrett ’19
171 students and alumni awarded fellowships in 2015-2016
New Opportunities
CEO Seoul, the newest Columbia Experience Overseas location, gives students an opportunity to gain full-time work experience during the summer in an international location while immersing them in a new place and providing them with new experiences.
The Nobuhisa and Marcia Ishizuka Global Fellowship in East Asian Studies, supported by Nobuhisa Ishizuka ’82, LAW’86 and his wife, Marcia Ishizuka GSAPP’86, provides a summer study abroad grant for students studying Japanese language and culture, or other East Asian languages and cultures, whose research and interests include Japan. The fellowship is part of a gift to the Core to Commencement campaign, which seeks to provide a funded summer experience to all students.
The Global Ambassador Program, a new, yearlong intercultural opportunity offered by the Office of Multicultural Affairs within Undergraduate Student Life, aims to foster intercultural dialogues and friendships within Columbia’s diverse student population. The program pairs international and domestic students of different races, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations and class years, and provides a space for discussing topics such as culture shock, communication styles, intercultural conflict styles, social perceptions and social (dis)comfort.
The Columbia Global Seminar in Mexico City offers courses required for the anthropology major, as well as courses focused on Mexican and/or Latin American ethnographic methods and writings. Students in the program can take part in excursions that allow them to engage directly with artifacts, visual materials, oral and written texts, performances and exhibitions, as well as enroll in courses offered by the program’s local university partner, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), one of Mexico’s most important centers of teaching and research for the social sciences.
The Columbia University in London program offers a global seminar, “London as Literature,” taught by a faculty member whose research directly engages in the literary culture of London, allowing students to study major works of English and Anglophone literature from all periods and genres in the context of London.
The Undergraduate Career Fair, catered to undergraduate student needs and interests, replaced the Center for Career Education’s Fall Career Fair. The inaugural fair showcased the breadth of industries seeking entry-level and internship talent and featured a “CCE Café,” where students had the opportunity to chat with CCE counselors to practice their introductions, ask questions about the fair and more.