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COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
THE COLLEGE CONNECTION
The College Connection
Alumni and students forge meaningful bonds
across disciplines and generations
B y A l e x i s T o n t i ’11 A r t s
are times when we’ve met since then that he’s reiterated that idea.
It really affected my freshman year and the choices I made. I was
more open to considering different things when I was choosing
clubs; I joined the entrepreneurship club [Columbia Organization
of Rising Entrepreneurs] early on, and since then it’s become an
important part of my Columbia experience.” He adds that he’ll be
on the executive board, as treasurer, next year.
Betanabhatla believes strongly in this type of informal meeting
with students.
“I pay for breakfast and talk about whatever students want
to talk about,” he says. “Unless you ask, you never know the answer
to things: ‘Do you know someone who can help me I’m
thinking about journalism.’ or ‘Do you know someone who can
help in human rights’ They discover the concept of a network
and the power of the community that they belong to.
“To say that student-alumni interaction is important is underselling
it,” Betanabhatla adds. “It’s an essential or critical part of the
the overarching mission is the same: to enrich the student experience,
strengthen alumni ties to the College and in general bridge the
gap between life as a student and life after graduation.
“Our 47,500 highly accomplished alumni are one of the greatest
resources the College has and I am grateful that they are
eager to share their experience and expertise with our current
students,” says James J. Valentini, dean of the College and vice
president for undergraduate education. “The intergenerational
community is a key part of the Columbia College experience.
Alumni help students imagine career paths and envision life after
Class Day, and current students, in turn, provide alumni an
opportunity to relive their time on campus. We all benefit from
this alumni-student relationship.”
The opportunities for connection take many forms, from
career-related programs to mentorships to community-building
activities. While one office usually takes the organizational lead,
programs more often than not are the result of staff members
Alumni and students mingle in Low Rotunda at Media Networking Night on March 11.
PHOTO: BRUCE GILBERT
Media Networking Night has proven to be extremely popular, with students and alumni filling Low Rotunda.
PHOTO: BRUCE GILBERT
One Saturday afternoon last June, 70-
plus incoming students — along with
their family and friends — attended a
Summer Advising session in Alfred
Lerner Hall. After greetings and informational
remarks by administrators
and alumni, copies of The Iliad were
handed from alumnus/a to student,
one by one, in a ceremonial welcome
to the Columbia community. “You
could see the enthusiasm on their faces,” Ganesh Betanabhatla ’06
says of the incoming students. “But I could also see people were
nervous. It brought me back to how I felt, embarking on that journey,
having so many different thoughts and questions.”
On his way out, Betanabhatla stopped by a group of six or seven
students and introduced himself. They ventured a few questions
— about the city and college and even life after college. He
chatted for a few minutes, then gave each his business card and
promised to be responsive if they contacted him.
Among those students was Nikhil Nayar ’16. A few weeks
later, back home in Yardley, Pa., Nayar began putting together
his Fall class schedule. As his thoughts turned to majors and possible
career paths, he went to the Center for Career Education
(CCE) website to scroll through alumni profiles and immediately
recognized Betanabhatla. Nayar’s curiosity about finance made
Betanabhatla, who works for a New York-based investment firm,
a natural go-to. A few emails later, they arranged to meet for
brunch near Union Square.
“It was a great experience,” Nayar says. “Basically he gave
me an intro to what Columbia was, and what the experience was
like. He got me very excited about coming here.”
Importantly, Betanabhatla also drew out some of Nayar’s other
interests.
“When he realized I was interested in tech startups,” Nayar recalls,
“he said, ‘You’re going to have a lot of time to think about
your career; make sure you consider all of your options.’ And there
undergraduate experience. One of the unique elements of the CC
undergraduate education is having access to general life mentors or
professional, career-oriented mentors who are a subway ride away.
It’s embodied in the name of our school: Columbia University in the
City of New York. That prepositional phrase says a lot.”
Intergenerational interaction is becoming a definitive part of the
Columbia College experience. While alumni-student relationships
can grow from less formal encounters, the shift in large
part reflects the effort of the College and many of its units, including
CCE, Columbia Student Affairs, Columbia Undergraduate
Admissions and the Columbia College Office of Alumni Affairs and
Development (CCAAD). Working on their own and in partnership
with each other and alumni groups — such as the Columbia College
Alumni Association (CCAA) and the Columbia Alumni Association
— staff members have developed an array of programming
to increase and enhance the quality of engagement among students
and alumni. Specific goals vary from one program to the next, but
throughout the College pooling expertise and resources.
CCE spearheads the Columbia College Alumni-Sponsored Student
Internship Program (see page 30), Columbia Exploration Externship
program, Columbia College Dinner & Discussion Series,
Media Networking Nights and more. Student Affairs also tailors
programs toward professional subjects, from industry-specific
panel presentations such as Doctor in the House, Legally Speaking
and MBA Marketplace, to lecture series such as CSA Talks, which
provides a platform for people “with experiences worth sharing.”
Student Affairs also oversees programs in conjunction with
the Alumni Office. These include the Dean-in-Residence Dinner
and Discussion Program at the Living-Learning Center — the
College’s all-class integrated residential community — where
Cristen Scully-Kromm, assistant dean for community development
and residential programs, hosts an intimate, monthly
dinner with an alumnus/a for LLC students. There’s also the
Alumni Parade of Classes at Class Day and Convocation, which
reinforces and celebrates Columbia bonds.
SUMMER 2013
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SUMMER 2013
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