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
Nestled across the street from Schermerhorn Extension next to the old Croton Aqueduct Gate House, the garden has become a source of community and creativity for this Columbia staffer.
It's John William Livingston’s 1775 AB diploma, which gives some insights into the busy days at Columbia College in May of that year.
More than 100 Columbians have volunteered yearly with the Read Ahead Mentoring Program—one staffer and recent volunteer shares his experience.
In Vera, or Faith, the School of the Arts writing professor portrays a crumbling modern American family.
Photos crackling with the buzz of our community coming back together again.
Professor Jeremy Dauber takes on middle-grade readers in his second book for children.
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Plus, five student organizations to check out, and guidance on how to find more clubs.
Careful evaluations found several little-leaved linden trees along College Walk in irreversible decline, and their removal offers an opportunity to reimagine and enhance this iconic campus landmark.
Check out our updated 2025 list of restaurants, markets, bakeries, pet stores, and more for when you return to campus this fall.
