The United States Senate voted to confirm Eric Holder '73, '76L as attorney general.

Thousands packed the chilly steps of Low Library on January 20 to watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama '83, the first College graduate to lead the United States.

Jisung Park '09 has won a Rhodes Scholarship to pursue a M.Sc. in nature, society and environmental policy at Oxford University in England.

Celebrating his 14 years of service as Dean of Columbia College, Austin Quigley was honored on November 13, when the Columbia College Alumni Association presented him with the 2008 Alexander Hamilton Medal at the American Museum of Natural History.

The dinner, attended by almost 700 alumni, students, faculty, family members and friends, also served as a fundraiser for The Columbia Campaign for Undergraduate Education, which funds financial aid, faculty support and student services. University Trustee Chair Bill Campbell '62 announced at the dinner that the event had raised more than $2 million.

View a photo gallery of the festivities!

Barack Obama '83 became the first College alumnus to be elected President of the United States. On November 4, Obama defeated his Republican challenger, Sen. John McCain P'07, ending a marathon campaign that saw Obama rise from a first-term senator to the nation's first African-American president.

Learn about various fellowship opportunities directly from 15 organizations who will be visiting the Columbia campus throughout the academic year. To learn about upcoming events in this Speaker Series, contact the Fellowship Programs Office or visit the Columbia College events calendar.

Double Discovery Center, Columbia University's program for low-income, college-bound students in New York, has named Muriel A. S. Grimmett as its new executive director.

The Committee on Major Cultures, the Committee on the Core, and the Committee on Instruction approved a revision to the requirement, and propose to begin more focused discussions with students and faculty about the way to move forward in further reshaping the requirement and considering its relation to the Core writ large.

The 47th Annual Mark Van Doren Award—which honors a Columbia professor for his or her commitment to undergraduate instruction, as well as for "humanity, devotion to truth, and inspiring leadership"—has been given to Andrew Nathan, the Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science.

Dean Austin Quigley has announced his plans to step down at the end of the 2008–09 academic year, after a term of 14 years as Dean of Columbia College and Lucy G. Moses Professor.