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ALUMNI CORNER

Back to School

By Brian Krisberg ’81
President, Columbia College Alumni Association

The arrival of fall always has been my favorite time of the year. The change in weather from sultry summer to cooler autumn is refreshing and provides a sense of renewal as the cycle of seasons continues. It also is my favorite time of the year because as students and alumni, we recognize the start of a new academic year and enjoy the sense of opportunity and optimism that accompanies this significant event. For Columbia College, fall’s arrival marks the start of its 253rd academic year.

As a student, I enjoyed returning to Columbia each fall. Going back to school was a time to reengage with old friends and, hopefully, find a couple of new ones. It was a time to expand my studies into new courses and domains that sounded fascinating and to put behind me any class that did not turn out as I had wished. It was a time to try out different extracurricular activities and organizations with the goal of finding one that fit my interests and schedule. It was a time of immense possibilities.

After a rather uneventful freshman year, going back to school for sophomore year proved significant. I tried delivering the news on WKCR early in the morning a couple of days a week. Though my parents were gracious in their assessment of my on-air abilities, I quickly realized my future was not in broadcasting. On the positive side, I discovered that I liked officiating numerous intramural sports (which I did for the next three years) and, to my parents’ chagrin, pledged a fraternity (Phi Gamma Delta), making lifelong friendships in the process. In addition, I volunteered to work at Freshman Orientation (which I ran for the College in my senior year) and decided on political science as a major while I dabbled in other areas that interested me, such as anthropology, sociology and art history.

Going back to school was a time of immense possibilities.

One of the more important aspects of the return to Columbia each year is the arrival of a new class of 1,000-plus students (this year, the Class of 2010). Many of these new students will have participated in summer advising and orientation sessions, where they received a copy of The Iliad from an alumnus/na as a gift from the Columbia College Alumni Association. They descend on campus in late August for New Student Orientation and participate in a special Convocation ceremony led by President Lee C. Bollinger and Dean Austin Quigley that formally marks their arrival as members of the Columbia community. I can say from personal experience that the atmosphere that surrounds the students coming to Columbia these days is remarkable. Having survived one of the most selective admissions processes in the country (more than 17,000 applicants last year) and in coming to a city as great and popular as New York, the first-years radiate with excitement about their association with Columbia and all it has to offer.

Another important aspect of the start of the academic year is the opportunity it provides for alumni of all generations to reconnect with the College and find ways to become more involved in today’s College life. I previously noted the Columbia College Alumni Association. The College has a tradition of recognizing all College alumni, faculty and administration as members of the CCAA (no dues required!). The CCAA leadership is a 55-member Board of Directors that meets several times during each academic year to discuss issues affecting today’s students and alumni and to provide counsel to Quigley and other top College administrators. The board also vigilantly monitors the policies and programs that are near and dear to College alumni and students (the Core Curriculum, need-blind admissions, full-need financial aid and the College receiving its fair share of University resources come to mind) and ensures they are adhered to by University administration.

In 2006, we begin a new two-year cycle for the board and welcome a dozen new board members. Some of the issues the board will focus on include the growth of student-alumni programming, the relationship of the association to the University’s nascent Columbia Alumni Association, new developments in athletics and the climate for minority groups on campus.

Aside from fund raising from its members and other alumni, the board supports two of the marquee events on the College’s social calendar, the Alexander Hamilton Award Dinner (to be held in Low Rotunda on Thursday, November 16) and the John Jay Awards Dinner (to be held on Wednesday, March 1, 2007, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City). The Hamilton Medal, the association’s highest honor for service to the College, is being awarded this year to Robert Berne ’60, my predecessor as CCAA president and one of the College’s most effective fundraisers. The John Jay Awards for distinguished professional achievement are being given to Lisa Carnoy ’89, Eric Foner ’63, Paul McCormick ’78, David Paterson ’77 and Charles Santoro ’82, with the dinner supporting the John Jay Scholarship program. We hope to see you at one or both of these exciting evenings.

I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as CCAA president for the next two years. If you have a concern that you want addressed by the College or are looking for help in getting involved, please e-mail me at bkrisberg@sidley.com. As the College’s extraordinary undergraduates return or come to campus, I encourage all members of the College community to take a moment to appreciate how well the College is doing today and to consider what we can do to make it an even better place tomorrow.

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