Summer 2015
Message from the Dean
Success Can Come in Unpredictable Ways
When Andrew Marlowe ’88, a recipient of a 2015 John Jay Award for distinguished professional achievement, spoke at the John Jay Awards Dinner in March, he told the audience that while his friends at the College had been pre-law and pre-med, he was “pre-unemployment” — an English literature major who wanted to tell stories. He didn’t know what that would mean for his bank account. He moved to Hollywood and took a chance.
Marlowe went on to write the screenplays for Air Force One, Hollow Man and End of Days, and to be the longtime executive producer and a writer on the hit ABC series Castle, which has won a People’s Choice Award, a PRISM Award, a Shorty Award, an Emmy Award and a Golden Reel Award. Marlowe was one of five alumni to receive a 2015 John Jay Award, along with Kyra Tirana Barry ’87; Abigail Black Elbaum ’92, BUS’94; Ira Katznelson ’66; and Nicholas P. Leone ’88. All found success in unique and sometimes unpredictable ways.
President Lee C. Bollinger and Dean James J. Valentini offer congratulations to members of the Class of 2015. PHOTO: EILEEN BARROSO
I thought about the John Jay Award recipients in May as I watched alumni carrying their class banners in the annual Alumni Parade of Classes at Class Day, ushering members of the Class of 2015 as they transition to former students. Many of these 1,162 graduates already have jobs lined up, or plan to go on to graduate or professional school in the fall. Others, like Marlowe, don’t have a clear idea where they’re headed. I told them in my Class Day speech that, as our 47,500-plus alumni can show them, the path beyond College Walk may be straightforward or circuitous or surprising, but I have no doubt that it will lead to success.
As I’ve written in this magazine, alumni are models for our current students, helping them to envision their futures, to recognize that life is not linear and to understand that accomplishment can happen even in the face of obstacles. The alumni featured in CCT this month, including Marlowe, represent this. They show how the same Core Curriculum, the same education, can lead to many different careers — to being a bariatric surgeon who helps former pro athletes, to being a member of a vintage folk revival group or to being the executive producer of PBS’ NewsHour. They also show how one can achieve success following tragedy, as in the case of Phil Satow ’63, a successful entrepreneur and corporate executive who, with his wife, Donna Satow GS’65, founded a leading charity committed to promoting emotional well-being and preventing substance abuse and suicide among college students. The Satows’ remarkable story is one that can inspire all of us.
One of the College’s goals is for each of you to be involved in the Columbia College Alumni Association, and one way to do so is to share your stories and experiences with students. You can interview prospective students through the Alumni Representative Committee, conduct mock interviews through the Center for Career Education, or serve as a mentor, adviser or career advocate in so many other ways. You can read about how to get involved on the new Columbia College Alumni Association website.
I hope you will consider returning to campus for the Alumni Procession at Convocation in late August, or the Alumni Parade of Classes at Class Day next May, to help our incoming students or graduating seniors move to the next phase of their lives.
