About the Report

The 61st Columbia College Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2012–2013 is very different from the annual reports you have received from the College in the past. Unlike the 60 previous annual reports, this year’s report not only thanks the generous alumni, students, parents and friends who help us provide an outstanding undergraduate experience for our students, but also shows the impact of their generosity on our students, Morningside Heights and the world.

Dean Valentini and College Students. Photo: Leslie Jean-Bart ’76, ’77JDean Valentini and College Students. Photo: Leslie Jean-Bart ’76, ’77J This year’s report tells the story of Columbia College during the last academic year – our admissions statistics, our major events, our academic experience, our students’ lives on campus and around the world, and our student-alumni connections. It also highlights our donor community.

Thanks to the generosity of our donor community, we raised $32.7 million for undergraduate education, including $17.3 million for the Columbia College Fund. We were able to offer full-need financial aid to 48 percent of our students, allowing them the freedom to focus on their coursework and co-curricular experiences, rather than on how they would pay for college. Through this website and the complementary PDF, you will learn more about the students and programs that benefited from the funding, as well as why our donors want the College and our students to thrive.

What has and continues to make Columbia College a renowned institution is our students. Our current students are already making their mark on the world through research, volunteering their time and talents locally and globally, and exploring new career possibilities with the help of our alumni. Our alumni are exceling in every arena including politics, industry and humanitarianism throughout the world while staying connected to the College. These former students extend themselves to mentor, interview and offer career opportunities for students and young alumni, and also make the College a philanthropic priority.

I have said that Columbia College is the greatest college in the greatest university in the greatest city in the world. Our students, both past and present, are the reason I can say that. On behalf of all of us at the College, thank you again for your support. I hope you will enjoy learning more about and celebrating all of the great things happening at the College.

Roar, Lion(s), Roar,