On March 10, 2016, Columbia College celebrate the 38th annual John Jay Awards Dinner, honoring five accomplished alumni of the College for distinguished professional achievement in their field. The John Jay Awards have been presented to 205 honorees since 1978 and raise money for the John Jay National Scholars Program. The 2016 honorees were:

• Jonathan C. Abbot CC'84 President and CEO, WGBH
• Julius Genachowski CC’85 Managing Director, The Carlyle Group and Former Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
• Jeffrey L. Kessler CC’75, LAW’77 Co-Chairman, Winston & Strawn, and Chair, Antitrust and Sports Law Practices
• John Vaske CC’88 Co-Chairman of Global Mergers and Acquisitions, Goldman Sachs & Company
• Sheena Wright CC’90, LAW’94 President and CEO, United Way of New York City