Scenes from around the Columbia community across the Fall term.

Dear Columbia College Community,

The last few weeks of the term are always a flurry of activity, with students wrapping up projects and preparing for finals, holiday gatherings popping up across campus, and the lights on College Walk bringing welcome cheer to our evenings. Amidst my own comings and goings, I am constantly reminded of how far we have come — inside the classroom and out — in reaffirming the character and ambition of this community.

Of course, we still have work to do, as Interim President Armstrong’s recent messages have outlined. But we have taken tremendous strides together this Fall, finding new ways to engage across our differences, and leveraging the strengths of our academic community to bridge gaps and renew connections. Thank you for whatever part you have played in this work — large or small, in public or private.

These are just a few of the things that I will carry with me:

• Braving the cold and wind with the crowd during the Tree Lighting Ceremony was a powerful reminder of the many ways that students have shaped our community and continue to stay engaged in making it better.
• After years of discussion and organization, it’s exciting to see students embrace our updated curricular structure, engaging with faculty in new ways as they have declared many of the 47 minors now available.
• Like so many Lions who cheered on our athletics teams this Fall, I am constantly amazed at our student-athletes’ ability to achieve academically, perform on the field and inspire our entire community in equal measure — shout-out to our Ivy League Football Champions and NCAA tennis champ Michael Zheng CC’26.
• Our alumni community gathered in November to honor President Emeritus Lee C. Bollinger at an inspiring Hamilton Award Dinner, raising more than $1 million in support of College students.
• And I have watched with pride as new student leaders continued to emerge, as we began to celebrate the achievements of our senior class with this year’s Junior Phi Beta Kappa initiates, and as we introduced our newest Rhodes Scholar.

I encourage each of us to take some time in the coming weeks to think about what we will carry forward into the New Year. Winter break offers students, faculty and staff alike the opportunity to enjoy a well-earned respite from the pace of Columbia’s academic calendar. And, while I certainly look forward to relaxing with friends and family over the holidays, I can’t help but look forward to what awaits us in the year to come.

We still have challenges to face, but — as I said at the start of the term — if we keep talking, if we keep listening and learning, and if we keep moving forward together, then there is nothing that can stand between us and a community, always in the making, that we’re all proud to call home.

With respect,

Josef Sorett
Dean of Columbia College
Vice President for Undergraduate Education

This message was sent to Columbia College students, families and staff on December 19, 2024.