Student-Alumni Programs bridges the gap between life as a student and life after graduation, while helping students build deep connections that will make Columbia feel like home.

This joint venture between the Columbia College Office of Alumni Affairs and Development and the Division of Student Affairs strives to:

1. create a student culture that supports a lifelong commitment to the Columbia community, through the gifts of time, talent and financial support.
2. create opportunities for alumni to engage with students and the College in ways that strengthen the community at Columbia and beyond.

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Convocation and Class Day events
• Bridge Program
• Career-focused events
• Access to the arts

For more information or to volunteer, contact Paul Pavlica, assistant director, student development, at pjp2113@columbia.edu or 212-851-7849.

About Student-Alumni programs and events:

Bridge Program

This unique program unites current undergraduate classes with those from classes of twenty-five and fifty years ago, giving students a chance to hear firsthand the successes, challenges and decisions that some of Columbia’s most distinguished alumni have faced.

The undergraduate Class of 2011, for example, is bridged with the Classes of 1986 and 1961 through a series of social events that begin with convocation and culminate with graduation. As the Class of 2011 celebrates its graduation, the Classes of 1986 and 1961 will celebrate their 25th and 50th reunions.

Career Events

Student-Alumni Programs works independently or in concert with career services such as The Center for Career Education and the Office of Pre-Professional Advising to develop programs that range from alumnus workplace visits to career-focused panel discussions.

Dinner and Conversation

Student-alumni dinners are typically one of two types: Twenty students join an alumnus who is doing extraordinary work in their field for dinner and conversation at the Assistant Dean of Community Development's campus apartment; or eight to twelve students meet up with a young alumnus at the Faculty House or neighborhood restaurant.

Field Trips

Student-Alumni field trips provide students with several opportunities to interact with alumni outside the campus: workplace tours, arts involvement, dinners and event outings.

• Workplace Tours

  Workplace tours, brief incursions into the working world of an alumnus, open students' eyes to a multitude of career opportunities. These in-depth tours and discussions — hosted by an alumnus at their workplace — give students a firsthand look at what it is like to work at the United Nations or NBC, for example.

• Arts Involvement

  For those with a special interest in the arts, alumni-hosted tours of museums or galleries provide an exciting look into the world of art and the career of a curator or museum guide.

• Dinners

  Dinners, receptions and meetings held in the home of an alumnus make for a relaxed, inviting setting to discuss issues important to both graduates and students.

• Event Outings

  Occasional outings at New York Knicks games or other events offer students and an alumnus the chance to unwind and interact in a festive, informal setting.

Traditions

Columbia College traditions come full circle when alumni participate in Class Day or hand out copies of the Iliad to incoming students at Summer Advising sessions. These traditions, still cherished by alumni, present a perfect opportunity to stay involved and feel connected to the College.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Paul Pavlica, assistant director, student-alumni programs, at pjp2113@columbia.edu or 212-851-7849.