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.
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
Based on feedback from students, the University has decided to focus attention on Class Days and school-level graduation ceremonies, and to forego the University-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15. Follow announcements here.
From sustainability milestones to research breakthroughs and the WNBA draft, Columbians are making major strides in their fields.
The night of May 15, the Empire State Building will glow blue for Columbia grads. Here’s where to capture the best photos with it.
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 history.
On April 8, Columbians gathered on Morningside campus to witness a partial solar eclipse.
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 students.
Opa shared how the Columbia Employment Information Center was a launchpad for furthering his career at Columbia University.