Rewarding Core Faculty

As an attorney, James Maroulis CC’88 doesn’t need to be told the merits of Contemporary Civilization; he knows from experience that his favorite Core course “helps you to be analytical, helps you in your writing and helps you to be persuasive when you’re trying to reach judges or jurors.”

Recently, however, Maroulis was reminded of how the Core has enriched his life beyond the classroom and the courtroom. The catalyst was a conversation with his teenage son about the scene in Lit Hum mainstay The Odyssey in which Odysseus’ dog dies upon seeing his master after 20 years. “It’s really, really sad,” says Maroulis, himself a dog owner. “I showed it to my 11th grader and he was on the verge of tears. Some of this ancient literature is really moving.”

Maroulis, who attended a struggling public high school in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and as a child had difficulty with reading due to dyslexia, thus continues to find the Core “enormously eye-opening and intellectually thrilling.” And so when he approached the Office of the Dean in fall 2014 about giving back to alma mater, supporting the Core emerged as the best route.

The Core is what makes Columbia, Columbia. And if that’s what being a Columbia graduate is about, it is worth supporting.

“That resonated tremendously with me because of my background, the experience I had and how the Core transformed my education,” says Maroulis, who earned degrees from the London School of Economics and Fordham Law and now is managing counsel at Oracle, a computer technology corporation in California that specializes in database software.

The result was the Maroulis Family Fund for Faculty Fellowships, established in early 2015. The $250,000 gift from Maroulis and his wife, Victoria, is used to award Core faculty one-time funding to facilitate research, host an academic conference, or pursue other opportunities.

As Maroulis points out, faculty who teach in the Core often do so at the expense of time devoted to their area of expertise. “I thought that if they had some support, it would give them a better experience and the breathing room they need,” he says.

Maroulis also has helped keep the College strong and vibrant by interviewing prospective students through the Alumni Representative Committee, an involvement he looks forward to expanding in the coming years. It’s a safe bet that the Core will come up often in conversations with applicants.

“The Core is what makes Columbia, Columbia,” says Maroulis. “And if that’s what being a Columbia graduate is about, it is worth supporting.”