2008-2009 Bulletin – PDF - SEAS Bulletin - Columbia University

205
Preprofessional Advising
The Office of Preprofessional Advising
works closely with the Center for Student
Advising and with the Center for Career
Education to provide information for
students who plan a career in law or the
health professions. The Office advises
and assists students throughout their
four years, but works most closely with
students during their application year
and with alumni who apply for admission
after graduation. Information sheets, forms,
and helpful resources are available in
the Office of Preprofessional Advising.
Students will work with their advising
deans as primary preprofessional advisers;
these advisers will be instrumental
in writing committee evaluations for
some professional schools.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
The Community Development team
works to foster a vibrant and welcoming
undergraduate community through organizational
advising, leadership development,
advocacy, diversity education,
civic engagement, and community programming.
The team includes the Office
of Student Development and Activities,
the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the
Office of Student Group Advising, and
the Office of Residential Programs.
Knowing that students’ learning continues
beyond the classroom, Columbia
University strongly encourages students
to become involved in programs and
activities to enhance their educational
experience and personal growth. A wide
array of student organizations addresses
both student interests and professional
concerns, including the arts, politics,
identity, culture, and religion. Joining
such groups offers an exciting and
dynamic opportunity to develop leadership
skills that will serve students well
throughout their lives.
Student Organizations
Programs and activities at Columbia
are shaped primarily by students who
assume leadership and volunteer
positions in hundreds of organizations
across the campus. The Engineering
Student Council and its associated class
councils are the elected representative
body of undergraduates with The Fu
Foundation School of Engineering and
Applied Science. Its members represent
student interests on committees and
projects addressing a wide range of
issues facing the Columbia community
and help shape the quality of life for
Columbia students.
Working in conjunction with the
Student Council, the Activities Board at
Columbia (ABC), Student Governing
Board (SGB), Inter-Greek Council (IGC),
Community Impact (CI), Club Sports,
and InterSchool Governing Board (IGB)
oversee the management and funding of
over 300 student organizations.
The ABC provides governance for
over 160 recognized student organizations,
including cultural organizations,
performance-based and theatrical
groups, media and publications groups,
competition and special interests groups
and preprofessional organizations and
societies. The preprofessional organizations
and societies are of special interest
to engineering students. These societies
reflect the range of academic disciplines
and interests to be found among students
and include the Asian-American
Society of Engineers, National Society of
Black Engineers, the Society of Women
Engineers, the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the
Biomedical Engineering Society, just to
name a few.
The SGB provides governance for
approximately 100 recognized student
organizations that are faith-based, spiritual,
political, activist, and humanitarian
and that encourage open interreligious
and political dialogue at Columbia
University’s Morningside Campus. The
InterSchool Governing Board recognizes
student organizations whose membership
is open and spans among the
various undergraduate and graduate
schools.
For more information on IGC see
Residential Programs, below. For more
information on Club Sports see
Intercollegiate Athletics Program (page
208), and for more information on
Community Impact see Office of the
University Chaplain (page 207). All the
governing groups provide networking
and leadership and professional development
for students.
Columbia University graduate students
can participate in and enjoy hundreds
of diverse, University-affiliated
social, religious, cultural, academic,
athletic, political, literary, professional,
public service, and other organizations.
At SEAS, graduate students are encouraged
to become active members of the
Engineering Graduate Student Council
(EGSC). The EGSC is a recognized
group that consists of representatives
SEAS 2008–2009