This page is dedicated to stories about Columbia's campus and community. From student, staff, and faculty profiles to interesting events happening on campus and in our surrounding neighborhoods, here is where you can find the latest about what's happening on and around Columbia's campuses.
Story Highlight
There’s just no one way to do Columbia University right. Some students find their footing in a favorite library by week two. Others find it at a buzzing coffee shop that’s three subway lines from campus, or working in a lab past midnight, or in a game of ultimate frisbee on the lawns.
This year, we’re just going to call it what it is: you are on an adventure, an odyssey. New city, new campus, new people, and a whole year (or years) of choices ahead of you.
Let’s just say we were influenced by the blockbuster film adaptation this summer. Or our Lit Hum professors’ takes on it, seeing as Homer’s epic is a part of every student’s first-year curriculum in the Core.
We’ve got you covered with plenty of guides on how to navigate your journey. Think: where to go, how to connect with people, and how to make the most of your time here.
Whether you’re new or returning, what do you want to know about Columbia as you start the school year?
Photo of the Week
COLUMBIA HISTORY
Columbia started classes in the new Morningside Heights campus in October 1897. On this brand new campus, the engineering students finally had ample classroom and laboratory space in their two new buildings: the School of Mines (now Lewisohn) and the School of Engineering (now Mathematics). But did you know that there used to be a full-size locomotive engine underneath Havemeyer Hall?
KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST
Did you know we have a biweekly newsletter filled with Campus & Community content you might not find anywhere else, delivered straight to your inbox?
Find the most recent editions here. And make sure you subscribe to receive the newsletter in your inbox every other Wednesday.
Out and About
More Stories
A new eight-month leadership program begins with 10 graduate students, reflecting a mix of talents and ambitions from schools across Columbia University.
On the first day of classes, President Mnookin welcomes the Columbia community to a new academic year.
Three of Columbia’s top leaders are graduates of the same school from three very different paths.
This August, major cancer breakthroughs earned government approval, new residential buildings opened, and Columbia researchers worked atop an active volcano. Test your knowledge of the latest news stories across the University!
As new and returning students step onto campus, Columbia News looks back on a summer full of activities for President Jennifer L. Mnookin, who took the reins on July 1, 2026.
Radhika Jones brings experience across print, digital, film, television, and audio to the classroom.
As the school year kicks off, bookmark these old and new spots to add to your caffeination rotation.
First piece of advice? “I really need my students to fail in front of me.”
Allia Mohamed (SIPA’18) co-founded the startup Openigloo with fellow Columbians to help New Yorkers vet their landlords. Here’s her advice for making connections here that could define your career from the very start.
Associate Professor of Computer Science Brian A. Smith has four Columbia degrees. How did he find his path, and what advice does he have for the rest of us, who are looking for one as well?
Stephanie Farmer, the founder of Ms. Steph’s Science Club and longtime Harlem resident and Columbia Community Service grantee, shares her advice for tapping into the local community for those new to the area.
Everything you need to know (plus some of the secrets you should know) to supercharge your time at any one of Columbia's 18 libraries.
