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
Everyone is a brother or a sister to Ricardo Morales, Assistant Director for Community Engagement with Public Safety, who has made a 40-year career at Columbia University.
From food relief projects to powerful panels, here’s how to honor the civil rights visionary’s legacy of service ahead of Jan. 19.
Brrrr-ing on fantastic long-form audio accompaniment for the winter months, straight from Columbia University minds.
Community Impact and P.A.'L.A.N.T.E. Harlem received two emergency grants that will help strengthen their food pantries in this season of heightened need.
Test your knowledge of the past year at the University with questions on dark matter, Jedi masters, NYC-themed playlists, and much more.
Take a look back at some of the visual highlights of 2025 from across Columbia University.
Looking back on reader-favorite local stories rooted in connection, culture, and community.
What Columbia University stories grabbed the attention of our readers in 2025? The results may surprise you.
Attending Columbia SIPA has empowered Yedidya Zohore to envision a career of peacebuilding and cooperation across regions.
Hundreds of students braved low temperatures on Dec. 4 for Columbia College’s annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on College Walk.
From art pieces to aromatic candles, explore this roundup of locally made gifts that you can find at the Lee C. Bollinger Forum's Holiday Market.
General Studies student Elias Re devotes himself to rigorous study, dancing, and date nights with his wife.