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ALUMNI CORNER

At the College, Records Keep On Spinning

By Charles J. O’Byrne ’81
President, Columbia College Alumni Association

More often than not, I find that when I write my CCT column, my lead has to do with records being set at the College. This column is no different. Records are being set at the College. This year, more than 15,000 applicants, most of them superbly qualified, sought admission to the Class of 2008. Only about 1,000 of those will join the ranks of Columbians next fall, and they will be a diverse group of students who will make Alma Mater proud. Those of us who have been watching the College’s admissions numbers and profile improve steadily during the past 10 years have been waiting for things to level off. Not this year. The College is one of the most competitive schools in the world and is securing its place at the top of the Ivy League.

A different kind of record was set at this year’s Dean’s Day. More than 700 alumni and parents came to campus on April 3 to attend lectures given by some of the College’s finest faculty, as well as by six alumnae in higher education, two of whom teach at Columbia. Dean’s Day is a favorite among alumni. It offers an opportunity to revisit the intellectual heritage that we share as graduates of a school with a preeminent faculty and renowned curriculum.

Dean’s Day came just two days after 200 alumni, students and friends gathered in the Low’s Rotunda to salute the 10 recipients of this year’s Columbia College Women Alumna Achievement Awards. These alumnae were chosen as a group because they are all working scholars, teaching at Columbia, Yale, NYU, Connecticut College, Illinois, Northwestern, Emory, Toronto and Franklin and Marshall, in a range of fields.

Dean's Day offers an opportunity to revisit the intellectual heritage that we share as graduates of a school with a preeminent faculty and renowned curriculum.

The awards marked a milestone in the College’s history, the 20th anniversary of coeducation at the College. Presenting the awards to this group of women was a wonderful way to recognize not only the difference that coeducation has made to the College but also to underscore the exceptional intellectual experience available to our students. Barnard history professor Rosalind Rosenberg was the keynote speaker, and she presented an incisive and entertaining history of women at Columbia.

Ritu Birla ’87, one of the honorees, spoke on behalf of the award recipients. Birla, a historian at the University of Toronto who specializes in modern South Asian history, postcolonial cultural studies and feminist and social theory, recalled with gratitude the mentorship she experienced as a Columbia student and applauded the faculty for its willingness to challenge the accepted norms of their fields. Birla’s remarks were warmly received by the audience, which included many members of the Columbia faculty.

Speaking of records and anniversaries, several years ago, many alumni, faculty, staff and students began planning for the University’s 250th anniversary. Those responsible for planning the Columbia250 events were conscious of the challenge of creating a commemoration that would not only celebrate the past and present but move Columbia into the future. As an ongoing venture that began with the planning for the 250th, Susan Feagin, University executive vice president for development and alumni relations, is working with commemoration planners and many other representatives of the Columbia community in thinking creatively about the future of alumni. I’ve written about Feagin’s leadership, and I am happy to cite her contributions to this process. Her ongoing role as a catalyst, challenging alumni to think “outside the box” in imagining our future relationship to all aspects of University life, is further evidence of her commitment to shaping the present and the future. Thanks to her and others, I am confident that one of the legacies of the 250th celebration will be a revitalized relationship for all Columbia alumni matched by new resources that will strengthen our ties to both the College and the University.

Whenever I have the privilege of addressing alumni gatherings, as I did at this year’s Dean’s Day and the Columbia College Women dinner, I try to take a moment to recognize the fine work of our Alumni Office. Derek Wittner ’65 has put together a first-rate staff of professionals who support alumni — development, communications and alumni affairs — and we are the better for it.

One of those who has done much for the College is the Alumni Office’s director of alumni affairs, Ken Catandella. Catandella is in his fourth year of service to the College, and our celebrations, from Homecoming to Dean’s Day, have never been better. He is ably assisted by a talented staff that includes Shelley Grunfeld, special events manager, and Heather Applewhite, assistant director.

By the time this CCT reaches you, Reunion Weekend will be less than a month away. If you are a member of a reunion class (ending in 4 or 9), there still is time to register to join classmates for what promises to be an enjoyable and interesting weekend in Morningside Heights and in the city. Catandella and his staff have done more than revitalize our reunion celebrations. Several years ago, they overhauled the reunion program, and each year, it gets better. Below are some of the highlights of this year’s reunion schedule. If this is your reunion year, I hope you will join us. If this is not your reunion year, I hope you’ll give your upcoming reunion serious thought. Planning starts early, and we welcome your support.

Reunion kicks off on Thursday, June 3, with class cocktail parties in the evening, followed by Broadway shows (tickets are available for purchase). A full day of programs is set for Friday, June 4, including a walking tour of Historic Harlem, a VIP tour of the United Nations and an excursion to the famed Rockefeller Kykuit estate in Tarrytown, N.Y.

You can start your Saturday morning with a yoga and exercise class, then gather with all classes for the Dean’s Brunch and Convocation. Camp Columbia, for children, will be in full swing as reunion classes gather for luncheons, panels and discussions. There even will be a tour of Columbia’s tunnels, that fascinating web of corridors that lies below the campus. Saturday closes with class dinners and the Starlight Reception on Low Plaza, an annual favorite. Sunday morning wraps things up with bagels, lox and The New York Times.

This reunion weekend will be the best. If you’ve wanted to do something for alma mater and you’re lucky enough to be in a reunion year, I encourage you to not only attend but to ask a classmate to join you. That alone will help turn around our still-too-low rate of alumni participation.

Reminder: The Columbia College Fund fiscal year ends on June 30. The College’s successes are the result of many factors, and alumni support, particularly unrestricted giving to the annual fund, is essential as the College moves forward. Those 1,000 lucky students who were admitted to the College a few weeks ago are depending on you and me to make a difference for our school and their future. Please support them.

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