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
When she was just nine years old, Savona Bailey-McClain went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first time on a field trip with her elementary school in the Bronx. She vividly remembers her mother tenderly loaning her a scarf and special pin for the trip. When she got there, everything changed: seeing and thinking about art became core to her identity.
Decades later, as a young woman settled in Harlem and working full-time at a mental health clinic for children, still taking every chance she got to immerse herself in the art world, she noticed something: People she met every day felt shut out by museums and galleries, intimidated before they even reached the front door.
“I never could quite understand why people were so intimidated,” Bailey-McClain told Columbia Neighbors. “It is a very American problem, and I just said, ‘What if I helped to bring art into the open public space where people could see it every day?’”
Photo of the Week
This past year, 450 Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College employees and retirees generously donated nearly $250,000 for grants distributed to 47 local nonprofits to combat hunger, provide crucial social services, champion arts and culture, and bridge educational gaps for local youth in STEM, literacy, and the arts.
COLUMBIA HISTORY
In the northeast corner of campus, Constantin Meunier’s sculpture Le Marteleur greets visitors in front of the home of the engineering school. Le Marteleur or the Hammerman was a gift of the Class of 1889 of the School of Mines (now the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science) installed all the way back in 1914. But did you know that the statue has moved multiple times over the years? And not always easily or willingly.
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Out and About
More Stories
The Columbia Space Initiative’s rocketry team was recognized by competition officials.
![Mailman School of Public Health graduates celebrate with blue flags waving in the air.](/sites/news.columbia.edu/files/styles/cu_crop/public/content/2025/commencement-046-diane-bondareff-700.jpg.webp?itok=oiEupCX0 ""Building a healthy and just world," read the flags of Mailman School of Public Health graduates. Photo by Diane Bondareff.")
From Ivy League titles to research breakthroughs, Columbians are racking up the wins.
The School of Professional Studies has an outline of some of the best summer activities, categorized by month and proximity to campus.
The June 24 primary will feature ranked-choice voting for mayor, among other citywide offices.
Here are a few local events you can participate in to honor Juneteenth this year.
May 21 marked the conferral of 15,000+ degrees upon Columbia's newest graduates, who hail from all 50 states and 100+ countries.
Grab your tissues: We asked the Class of 2025 to share their photos, memories, gratitude, and advice in anticipation of Commencement Week.
On May 13, Acting President Shipman visited labs across disciplines that are advancing bold solutions to today’s most urgent challenges.
Johnson will serve alongside David Greenwald (LAW’83), who became co-chair in 2023.
A block party was a great way to celebrate the end of the semester and the arrival of sunny spring days! 🎉
With graduation festivities around the corner, here's who we expect to speak to our graduates in celebration of their accomplishments.
From baseball milestones to research breakthroughs and an interstellar first, Columbians are making major strides in their fields.
