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AROUND THE QUADSCollege Celebrates 10 Years of Achievement Under Dean Austin QuigleyBy Alex Sachare ‘71The Columbia College Board of Visitors and the Columbia College Alumni Association, along with other members of the Columbia College family, celebrated a decade of achievement under the leadership of Dean Austin Quigley at a dinner in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center on October 4. “This is a very special occasion for me, for the College and for all of us,” said Quigley. “We’re here to celebrate the College and 10 years of achievement — not my achievement, but our achievement. The College’s successes reflect the efforts of University trustees and administrators; College faculty, alumni, parents and students; and last, but not least, the College staff.” 
President Lee C. Bollinger (right) congratulates Dean Austin Quigley at the dinner celebrating 10 years of achievement for the College under Quigley’s leadership. Photo: Eileen Barroso 
Quigley, who called the “position of dean of the College not a job but a mission,” described the past decade as “a time of transformational change for the College” and “a period of nonstop rethinking and renewal.” Said Quigley, “We take pride in the enhanced stature of the College, not because such rise in stature is an end in itself, but because it reflects a significant advance in the quality of all that we do together, all that we offer our talented students and all that we will pass on to our successors.” During this period, there have been major improvements in many areas including faculty and curricular resources, residential life, admissions and financial aid, facilities, fundraising, alumni relations and the College’s role in the Arts and Sciences and the University. The anniversary dinner provides an occasion for further, in-depth examination of these and other areas of advancement, which will be presented in future issues of Columbia College Today. The celebratory dinner was a warm and wonderful gala affair. Among the evening’s highlights was a performance by concert pianist Orli Shaham ’97. In addition to treating the audience to an inspiring performance of J.S. Bach: Toccata E minor and F. Chopin: Ballade No. 1 in G minor, she provided an impromptu comparison of the two pieces in a historical discussion drawing upon her days as a music humanities instructor. Before she played, Shaham thanked the dean for “riding in on a white horse to save the College” at a critical time. The evening also included a special video presentation created by Steeplechase Films (Ric Burns ’78), which passionately captured the undergraduate experience and made everyone proud to be a part of the Columbia College family. After Brian C. Krisberg ’81, president of the Alumni Association, opened the program by offering a toast to Quigley, tributes abounded. Michael B. Rothfeld ’69, chairman of the Board of Visitors, spoke of the “renaissance of Columbia College” and lauded Quigley’s “superb leadership, academic creativity and truly selfless dedication to the welfare of the College.” Representing the faculty, Christia Mercer, the Gustave M. Berne Professor in the Core Curriculum and a professor of philosophy, called Quigley “the most metaphysical of deans” and said, “ Austin’s success is that he has seen the good of the College, and placed that good squarely before us.” In a message, the Columbia College Student Council stated, “Our resident rock star dean has served us and our College well over the last 10 years.” And President Lee C. Bollinger summed up the feelings of almost 300 guests when he said, “By many measures, a Columbia College education has never been more highly valued than it is today. As a person who helps young people become adults, Austin gives us so much to admire.” Other speakers included Courtney Wilkins ’07, representing Columbia College Women, and To Trinh Jackie Quan ’93, president of the Asian Columbia Alumni Association
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