WITHIN THE FAMILY
Living a Liberal Arts Life
By Alex Sachare '71

One year ago, at Class Day, Dean Austin Quigley spoke of the importance of students becoming explorers with a wide range of knowledge. This depth of understanding is the hallmark of a Columbia College liberal arts education, and in today’s unpredictable world, where career paths are almost certain to take multiple zigs and zags over the years, it seems more important than ever.

In editing this magazine, I am constantly reminded of the different directions in which College alumni have taken their liberal arts education. Each time I read Class Notes, I see the remarkable diversity in our alumni body. For instance, I knew that the new governor of New Jersey (James E. McGreevey ’78) was an alumnus, but I didn’t know that the new U.S. ambassador to Vietnam (Raymond F. Burghardt Jr. ’67) was one as well. I knew we had a Pro Bowl football star (Marcellus Wiley ’97) in our ranks, but not a world-class Ultimate Frisbee player (Heidi Pomfret ’92).

The same is true for our student body. Some of the things that today’s students are doing, in and out of the classroom, are truly remarkable, and we hope to bring more of their accomplishments to your attention in the future.

In our last issue, we reported on the Subway Project, where suggestions formulated by students in a seminar to improve the subway stations in the Columbia area will be brought to the attention of city officials and may actually be implemented. We also profiled Charlotte MacInnis ’02, a noted television personality in China who majored in theater at the College and whose diverse background should help her find a niche in the competitive field of acting.

In this issue, we recognize significant awards won by five students — Cyrus Habib ’03 and Robbie Majzner ’03 won Truman Fellowships, Jacob Barandes ’04 and Victoria Sharon ’03 won Goldwater Scholarships and Mary Rozenman ’03 won a Udall Scholarship.

We also profile two more performing artists whose careers are well on their way: cellist Alisa Weilerstein ’04, who has performed with some of the leading orchestras in the world, and jazz pianist/vocalist Peter Cincotti ’05, a protégé of Harry Connick Jr. who already has headlined at major clubs. In the past, we’ve noted the achievements of other students in the arts, including twins Emily Bruskin ’02 and Julia Bruskin ’02, classical musicians who have played at Lincoln Center, and two undergraduates who already have achieved stardom in acting, Julia Stiles ’04 and Anna Paquin ’04. Their ability to balance College classwork with world-class performing arts careers is noteworthy indeed.

As another school year comes to a close, we congratulate all those mentioned above and offer special congratulations to all members of the Class of ’02 who join the ranks of College alumni this month.