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AROUND THE QUADS
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
AROUND THE QUADS
when I invite all alumni and parents,
including those in non-reunion years, to
come to campus for thought-provoking
lectures.”
Alumni who attended last year’s reunion
noted how wonderful it was to be
back on campus with classmates, whether
for a 70th reunion or a 25th.
Dr. Melvin Hershkowitz ’42, one of six
Class of 1942 alumni who attended, says,
“We met for a luncheon in Hamilton Hall
74 years after we entered in 1938 for Humanities
and CC classes. All of us were
happy to return to and thank our beloved
alma mater for what it has meant to us for
so many years.”
“My 25th reunion exceeded my expectations,”
says Cathy Webster ’87. “I caught
up with friends from my freshman floor,
from the Marching Band and Glee Club,
and incredibly also met some classmates
with whom I had never spent any time
at the College. I did not think I’d be out
until 2 a.m. on a Saturday, or visiting with
alumni from many other classes, but both
turned out to be memorable occasions.”
Webster’s classmate Ron Burton ’87
agrees: “Great time, that 25th reunion!
The echoes were awoken!”
Some alumni share the Columbia bond,
and a reunion year, with their children.
Ralph Schmeltz ’63 says, “I am planning
to be at Columbia to celebrate not only my
50th but also my son Andrew ’93’s 20th.
Will be great to see whoever shows up.
… Fifty-year grads are ‘old guys’ but my
mind still seems 18.”
For details on all events, refer to the Alumni
Reunion Weekend materials you will receive
in the mail, go to the reunion website (reunion.
college.columbia.edu) or refer to the box at
the top of your Class Notes column in this
issue for staff contact information. For an idea
of what to expect during the weekend, check
out the “2012 Reunion Highlights” on the
website.
Clefhangers
Celebrate 25 Years
The Columbia Clefhangers, founded
in spring 1998 by Daniel Henkin ’91,
will host a 25th anniversary celebration
on Saturday, April 20.
For more information, contact
clefhangersalumni@gmail.com.
“Students” hear fresh perspectives at a Dean’s Day Public Intellectual Lecture; young
alumni party aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid; and little Lions have fun at Camp Columbia.
PHOTOS: TOP AND MIDDLE: MICHAEL DiVITO; BOTTOM: EILEEN BARROSO
Bernice Tsai ’96 Heads CC Alumni Affairs
Senior Executive Director of Alumni Affairs Bernice
Tsai ’96 (right) speaks with Laura Lopez ’92, a member
of the executive committee of the Alumni Association
Board of Directors.
PHOTO: EILEEN BARROSO
Bernice Tsai ’96 became senior executive
director of Columbia College
Alumni Affairs on January
7, bringing the perspective of an
alumna as well as considerable corporate
experience in marketing and communications
to this important position.
“Bernice is looking forward to working
with all of our dedicated and committed
alumni, and to expanding the number
of alumni who are actively engaged with
the College,” Dean James J. Valentini
said. “Her strong background in marketing
and her passion for the College will
enable her to strengthen the connections
between former students and the College,
and among former students themselves.”
Tsai, who for several years interviewed
prospective Columbia students as a member
of the Alumni Representative Committee,
came to the College from Citigroup,
where she headed a new team focused
on driving engagement and loyalty. She
previously spent 12 years at American
Express, where she led marketing efforts
for several of the company’s membershipbased
businesses.
“This is a rare opportunity for me to
take the concrete skills that I have and
marry them with a mission that to me is
very personal, very meaningful and contributes
to the future of an institution that
I believe in and love,” she said.
Tsai majored in English literature at the
College and earned an M.B.A. at Northwestern’s
Kellogg School of Management.
She notes that while the mission and goals
of CC Alumni Affairs are being refined as
part of the development of a five-year plan,
her focus will be on alumni engagement.
“We want to build a lifelong relationship
with our alumni (starting at the point when
someone is a student) that creates opportunities
for alumni to be involved in ways that
are meaningful to them — volunteering at
events, providing experience as mentors,
advocating for the College or participating
in the fundraising work,” she explained.
“We want to be inclusive, diverse and open,
and allow alumni to partner in curating
their experience as alums. We will focus on
enhancing our communication approach,
collaborating with the University and other
key partners to create synergy and allow
our alumni’s voices to help direct our effort
to highest impact opportunities.”
Asked about her Columbia experience,
she said, “My freshman year in Carman
is particularly vivid. I recall students wandering
the halls in their sweats
or pajamas, carrying works
from the Core and gathering in
clusters to talk about these incredible
books from some of the
greatest thinkers of all time. Not
only was there a sense of community
and unity in all being
connected to the Core, but also
in hindsight there was the amazing
juxtaposition of raw youth
being exposed to monumental
works that had transcended
time — pretty powerful —
while eating ramen cooked in
tiny hotpots in their rooms!
“In terms of a moment, I remember
the first spring, sitting
next to The Thinker near Philosophy Hall
and realizing it was an authentic cast by
Rodin himself,” Tsai added. “Sitting there
alone in the spring, with all this great intellectual
activity around me, was such an
inspiring moment and made me grateful
for the opportunity and the environment
to learn, explore and seek knowledge.”
Class of 2013 Gives Back
The Class of 2013 Senior Fund kicked
off its campaign for its class gift on January
28. The gift will be presented to
Dean James J. Valentini and the Columbia College
Fund at Class Day on Tuesday, May 21.
The Senior Fund Executive Committee,
along with almost 200 members of the
Class of 2013 and several alumni leaders,
gathered to generate excitement for their
last semester and to encourage classmates
to donate to the Senior Fund.
Senior Fund Chair Maria Sulimirski ’13
spoke enthusiastically about her time at the
College and noted that the evening’s event
was an “induction into giving.” She then
introduced Valentini, who as he did last year
presented his “3-2-1 Challenge,” which asks
seniors to pledge $20.13 for three years, to
encourage two friends to do the same and
to have their gifts matched 1:1 by an alumnus.
The dean announced that he would
personally match all gifts made at the event,
up to $5,440, noting “We all owe the College
something.” He asked attendees to tell
him why he chose that amount, with the
hints being “James K. Polk” and “Oregon.”
The number comes from a historical slogan,
“Fifty-four Forty or Fight!”, which is associated
with a dispute between England
and the United States over the border of
Oregon.
Covering the “1” of the “3-2-1 Challenge,”
Gene Davis ’75, ’76 SIPA, ’80L will match all
gifts to the Senior Fund for the second year.
In addition, Charles Santoro ’82 pledged to
donate $5,000 to the College Fund when
the Senior Fund has 250 donors, another
$20,000 at 500 donors and another $75,000
at 750 donors.
The launch raised about $7,430, securing
the dean’s match and placing the Senior
Fund well on its way to its goal of $22,000.
View the “Senior Fund Launch 2013”
Facebook album: facebook.com/Columbia
College1754/photos_albums.
Dean James J. Valentini with the Class of 2013 Senior Fund Executive Committee.
PHOTO: CHAR SMULLYAN
SPRING 2013
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SPRING 2013
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