Campus & Community

A blue and green graphic with the words "Campus & Community" in its center alongside icons that represent Columbia University and New York City.

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

Graduating students point at the camera
6 Things to Know About Commencement 2024 and Graduation Season at Columbia

As daffodils pop out of the ground and magnolias start to bloom, so too grows our excitement to celebrate the Class of 2024. May 15 marks a historic first for Columbia: two University Commencement ceremonies, one in the morning and one in the evening, allowing for ample time to recognize our growing student body and community.

However, Commencement does not stand alone. While May 15 may mark the largest celebration of Columbia's graduates, the day is also surrounded by more than a week of graduation festivities, from class days and multicultural ceremonies to the baccalaureate service and other events.

You may have some questions as we prepare to celebrate, so Columbia News is here to help with six things you should keep in mind this extra special graduation season.

 

Photo of the Week

Bundles scholars from over the years
11 Years of Bundles Community Scholars

Last week, a group of A'Lelia Bundles Community Scholars came together for a luncheon at Lerner Hall where they shared updates on their community-based projects with the program's namesake, A'Lelia Bundles.

QUIZ

MArch Madness at Levien
The Columbia News Quiz: March Madness Edition

Test yourself with questions on Pi Day celebrations, electric fish at the Zuckerman Institute, and the Battle of the Dining Halls. Let's see how much you remember from the month of March.

COLUMBIA HISTORY

A collage of Dwight D Eisenhower with the Alma Mater statue
How Dwight D. Eisenhower Helped Shape NATO While President of Columbia

On April 4, 1949, the newly formed North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), represented by delegates from the US, Canada, and ten European countries, signed a collective security pact. Four years after the end of a war that killed thirty-nine million Europeans, the twelve nations negotiated an all-for-one, one-for-all agreement with the declared intention to check Soviet expansion, bolster Europe’s defenses, and prevent German remilitarization.

At Columbia, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ’47HON, the five-star general who led the Allied invasion of Europe during World War II, was closely following events. Eisenhower had become president of Columbia less than a year earlier, succeeding Nicholas Murray Butler, who resigned in 1945 after forty-four years.

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Out and About

Featured

CUFF
Columbia University Film Festival

MAY 9 - 13

Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF) is excited to bring five days of dynamic programming highlighting the thesis work of the Film MFA Program. We are having the screenings on campus at the Lenfest Center for the Arts. Join us for Screenwriting Night which will open our festival at Playwright’s Horizons, and Awards Night will close the festival at the Paris Theater to acknowledge the winning films. 

Not only are we offering these in-person events and screenings, we are also offering a chance to watch the films virtually on the Eventive platform. Tickets for Screenwriting Night, Awards Night, and a virtual screening pass are all $15.

More Stories

Abbey Hsu (CC'24) and Kaitlyn Davis (CC'23) were both selected in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the first two selections in Columbia women's basketball hist

We're keeping track of the Columbia Lions who are headed to the Paris Olympics to compete this summer. Here's who to watch out for. 

With Commencement, class days, and general graduation festivities around the corner, here's who we expect to speak to our graduates in celebration

On April 8, Columbians gathered on Morningside campus to witness a partial solar eclipse.

This year’s honorees include Kizzmekia S. Corbett-Helaire, Zvi Galil, Barney S. Graham, Robert Reffkin, and Darren Walker.

The night of May 15, the Empire State Building will glow blue for Columbia Commencement. Here’s where to capture the best photos with it.

The conversation focused on the task force’s first report and the experiences of Jews and Israelis at Columbia.

Learn about her passion for astroparticle physics, why she donated her guitar, and what extreme sport she would like to do—again.

Signed, sealed, and delivered: these Columbia women made their mark on the world and your mailbox.

On March 21, five dining halls competed in an epic food showdown with a new twist: all the dishes were entirely plant-based.

From Academy Awards to league titles, Columbians were racking up the honors this spring.

Thanks to US Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Project Start Right will extend DDC’s resources to first- and second-year college stude