Chemistry Professor James Valentini Appointed Interim Dean of Columbia College

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Chemistry Professor James Valentini will assume the responsibilities of Dean of the College and Vice President for Undergraduate Education on an interim basis.

Columbia College is pleased to announce that Chemistry Professor James J. Valentini has been appointed Interim Dean of the College and Vice President for Undergraduate Education.

Professor Valentini has been a member of the Columbia University Faculty since 1991, and is a longtime supporter of Columbia College. He served as chairman of the Chemistry Department from 2005 until 2008, and was director of the department's undergraduate studies program for several years. He also served for many years as an active member of the University Senate and on the Presidential Advisory Committee on Diversity Initiatives, and was chair of the Arts and Sciences Academic Review Committee and the College Committee on Science Instruction, and a member of the Committee on the Core and the College Committee on Instruction. He has served as a faculty representative to the Alumni Association Board, and has worked with many other groups on curriculum matters, undergraduate affairs, faculty governance, and tenure.

A decorated scholar, Professor Valentini was selected by his peers to be a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Fellow of the American Physical Society for his research involving chemical reaction dynamics. 

Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger announced Professor Valentini's appointment on Friday.  In an email to the Columbia community, he wrote that Professor Valentini's "two decades at Columbia have been marked by a love of teaching undergraduates and dedication to supporting their intellectual journey at the College."

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Columbia College Welcomes the Class of 2015

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Columbia College welcomes the 1,074 students in the Class of 2015 to campus.  Students moved in on Monday and Tuesday, a day or two late, after Hurricane Irene shut down New York City and much of the Eastern seaboard on Sunday. 

Photo by Char SmullyanOrientation leaders help students move Columbia College welcomes the 1,074 students in the Class of 2015 to campus.  Most students moved in on Monday and Tuesday, a day or two late, after Hurricane Irene shut down New York City and much of the Eastern seaboard on Sunday.  Monday’s Convocation was cancelled because of the storm, but the New Student Orientation Program (NSOP) proceeded otherwise as scheduled.  Highlights of the program include "Class Act," a variety show, students’ first Literature Humanities class, a Community Forum with all Columbia undergraduates, and a party on Governors Island. The week also features Orientation Group meetings, science and language placement exams, information and advising sessions, and meals at John Jay Dining Hall.  During Labor Day weekend, NSOP will offer tours of neighborhoods, museums and monuments around the city, including Park Slope, the Meatpacking District and the Museum of Modern Art.
 
The Columbia College Class of 2015 comes from 49 states and 55 countries. Class members were chosen from more than 29,000 applications. Fourteen percent of freshmen are the first in their families to attend a four-year college and 17 percent are international students.

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Christien Tompkins

By hm2135 on Tuesday August 23, 2011

Chris Johnson

By hm2135 on Tuesday August 23, 2011

Columbia College Fund Exceeds Goal, Raises $15.6 Million

Monday, August 15, 2011

The Columbia College Fund exceeded its Fiscal Year 2010–11 goal of $14.5 million and raised a record $15.6 million, thanks to the 11,000 alumni, parents, friends and Class of 2011 donors.

The Columbia College Fund exceeded its Fiscal Year 2010–11 goal of $14.5 million and raised a record $15.6 million, thanks to the 11,000 alumni, parents, friends and Class of 2011 donors.

The Senior Fund also set a record, with 951 donors contributing to the effort. This represents 95 percent participation, exceeding the 93 percent goal, and in doing so securing a gift of $50,000 to the College Fund from Board of Visitors Emeritus Member Charles Santoro ’82. In the last decade, the number of donors to the Senior Fund has more than quadrupled; it was just 187 in 2001. Led by Director
Amanda Kessler and Senior Fund Chair Scott Maxfield ’11, the Senior Fund raised more than $21,800.

The Class of 1971 raised more than $1.2 million in honor of its 40th reunion, becoming the first College class to raise more than $1 million in unrestricted funds in one year. Parents again raised the bar. The Parents Fund, under the leadership of former Director Susan Rautenberg, Assistant Director Courtney Joseph and Co-chairs Dr. Mehmet and Lisa Oz P’12, exceeded its $2.1 million goal, raising $2.2 million.

“I am grateful to the hundreds of alumni and parent volunteers who led our efforts, and to each of the 11,000 donors who chose to support the College Fund this year,” said Laura Rose, senior executive director for development, Columbia College. “The alumni, parents and friends who support the College year after year have a direct and meaningful impact on our students’ experiences. Their combined gift of $15.6 million is a powerful vote of support for the College and its students.”

The hard work of fund Co-chairs Ira B. Malin ’75 and Michael P. Behringer ’89, Fund Development Council Co-chairs James P. Gerkis ’80 and Kyra Tirana Barry ’87, Class Agent Program Co-chairs Francis Phillip ’90 and Daniel Tamkin ’81 and all of the volunteer members of the College’s committees played a vital role in exceeding the goal. College alumni trustees, the Columbia College Board of Visitors and the Columbia College Alumni Association Board of Directors, as well as the dedicated staff of the Alumni Office, under the leadership of Rose and Sherri Jones, senior executive director, alumni affairs
and communications, also were instrumental in the fund’s success.

Unrestricted annual giving is a necessary ingredient in Columbia’s success, providing current and immediately usable funds for the College’s operations. The largest such application of unrestricted
annual giving is financial aid, helping to preserve need-blind admission and full-need financial aid. Annual giving also bolsters the student services and activities that enhance the quality of undergraduate life and sustains the Core Curriculum. Gifts to the Columbia College Fund count toward the $5 billion goal of the Columbia Campaign, which launched in 2005. In FY11, the Columbia Campaign raised $670 million in new gifts and pledges.

To make a gift to the Columbia College Fund in FY12, go to college.columbia.edu/giveonline or call 212-851-7488.

Lisa Palladino

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