Mark Albert Momjian ’83, ’86L, a leader of the Columbia University Club of Philadelphia and chair of the Alumni Representative Committee of Philadelphia for the past two decades, and Neil L. Selinger ’75, a writer and retired attorney who was a leader of the Columbia College Alumni Association for nearly two decades, were among 11 recipients of the Alumni Medal for their distinguished service of 10 years or more to the University.
Celebrating what Dean Michele Moody-Adams called “an extraordinary rite of passage,” members of the Class of 2011 began the transition from students to alumni at Class Day on May 17, a day that was marked by morning rains and blustery winds but calmer weather by the time Sans Souci and Roar, Lion, Roar were sung by the Clefhangers to conclude the ceremony.
The Columbia Global Scholars Program (GSP) offers highly motivated students a new opportunity to investigate global issues through the perspective of Paris/Europe. GSP students will be motivated to delve into another society and culture as they pursue their own projects, challenged to test their own goals against other peoples’ educational and intellectual systems, and supported to develop a range of research, language, and networking skills to help them in this innovative intellectual endeavor.
More than 900 seniors celebrated the last day of classes, and their upcoming graduation, at the annual Senior Dinner on May 2 under a tent on South Lawn. A highlight of the evening was the announcement by Senior Fund Chair Scott Maxfield ’11 that the fund had achieved 95 percent participation, a College record. In addition, because the class surpassed its participation goal, Charles Santoro ’82 will contribute $50,000 to the Columbia College Fund.
May 18th will mark Ms. Booth's last day at Columbia in the Office of Fellowship Programs and Study Abroad. She and her husband, who will be home from his final tour in Afghanistan at the end of May, are moving to San Diego, California where he will next be stationed. She thanks all the students, administrators, and faculty who have made her three years at Columbia so enjoyable. Please stop by the office to say farewell.
Due to the academic calendar and the fellowship application cycle, we will be moving to open hours for this final month of the school year. If you would like to speak with Dean Pippenger or Ms. Booth about a fellowship application or opportunity, please note that we will now be offering Open Office Hours in May every Friday from 9 am until 1 pm. Students will be seen on a first come first serve basis and will be allotted up to 25 minutes per meeting. We look forward to seeing you during those hours!
Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced that Columbia and the U.S. Navy have agreed to officially reinstate Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Program enrollment opportunities at the University.
Under the agreement, Columbia will resume full and formal recognition of Naval ROTC after the effective date of the repeal of the law that disqualified openly gay men and lesbians from military service, anticipated to come later this year.
Most weeknights, students working in the Student Calling Center — located on the lower level of the Columbia Alumni Center — make telephone solicitations on behalf of 16 annual funds at Columbia. CloEve Demmer, University director of annual fund programs, announced that two veteran student callers, Brandon Lewis ’13 and Diane Jean-Mary ’13, had each crossed the $100,000 threshold in terms of the pledges they secured single-handedly. Lewis and Jean-Mary are both in their second year as student callers.
The Columbia College Student Council’s Academic Awards Committee announced this year’s winners of the Mark Van Doren and Lionel Trilling awards. The 50th annual Mark Van Doren Award, which honors a Columbia professor for his/her commitment to undergraduate instruction as well as for “humanity, devotion to truth and inspiring leadership,” will be presented to Holger Klein, associate professor of art history and archaeology; the 36th annual Lionel Trilling Award will be presented to James Shapiro ’77, the Larry Miller Professor of English and Comparative Literature, for his book Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?
Manning Marable, the M. Moran Weston/Black Alumni Council Professor of African American Studies, founding director of Columbia’s Institute for Research in African-American Studies and director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary Black History, died on April 1. He was 60 and lived in New York City. Marable’s death came just days before the publishing of his long-awaited biography, and the culmination of his life’s work, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.