The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Columbia University celebrated the Class of 2015 on Sunday, May 17 in two ceremonies honoring Master's and Ph.D. candidates.

M.A. Convocation

More than 400 Master's students in fields ranging from African-American Studies to Statistics participated in the M.A. Convocation Ceremony, which featured remarks from Alexandra Schultz, an M.A. graduate in Anthropology, and Dr. Carl Haber, who delivered the keynote address.

Dr. Haber, senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, emphasized two core values: curiosity and risk-taking. While society seems to have a love-hate relationship with curiosity, he posited that curiosity is the gateway to creativity, and that it is just one small step from asking “Why?” to asking “Why not?” His second core value, risk-taking, was illustrated by the experience of taking his research program, initially focused on elementary particle physics, in a radical new direction. In 2000, prompted by an intriguing radio lecture, he began investigating the possibility of digitally reproducing audio recordings from degraded and obsolete media. Since then, by collaborating with archivists and researchers across the country, Haber has given a new voice to historic artifacts by converting detailed imagery of microscopic grooves and lines into digital sound files—work that eventually earned him a MacArthur “genius” grant and that illustrates the possibilities of cross-disciplinary, curiosity-driven risk-taking.

M.A. Convocation Video and Photos
The archived video of the M.A. Convocation Ceremony is available on the Columbia webcast portal.

• Opening remarks by Dean Carlos J. Alonso (14:50)
• Student speaker Alexandra Schultz (17:00)
• Keynote address by Dr. Carl Haber (28:00)
• Presentation of Master's candidates (46:30)
• Final remarks by Dean Alonso (77:50)

See photos from the event on the GSAS Facebook page.

M.A. Convocation Booklet
Download as PDF.
 

Ph.D. Convocation

The Ph.D. Convocation Ceremony celebrated more than 300 graduates earning the Ph.D. and D.M.A. degrees. Ari Ezra Waldman, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology, was the student speaker, while Professor Sean C. Solomon, Director of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, gave the keynote address.

Professor Solomon began by offering six sayings that, despite their often-used nature, still hold true: “Savor the moment. Honor your parents. Thank a teacher. Do what you love. Get in for the long haul. There’s no place like home.” In speaking about the “long haul,” he recounted the decades’ worth of theory and work involved in the Messenger mission to Mercury, which he oversaw and which completed its orbital operations two weeks prior to the ceremony. In speaking about “home,” he imparted a planetary perspective to the graduating students, urging them to join the next generation of Earth’s stewards: “I hope that you will learn from the successes and failures of those who went before you and will contribute constructively to the development of sustainable solutions by this nation or whatever nation in which you choose to live and work…May each of you continue to grow intellectually and professionally as you take on new responsibilities and face new challenges.”

Additionally at the Ph.D. Convocation Ceremony, the Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) Faculty Mentoring Awards were given to Professor of Sociology Karen Barkey and Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences Helen-Maria Lekas.

The Presidential Awards for Outstanding Teaching were given to Spencer Brucks, a Ph.D. student in Chemistry; Elham Seyedsayamdost, a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science; and Christine Webb, a Ph.D. candidate in Psychology.

Ph.D. Convocation Video and Photos
The archived video of the Ph.D. Convocation Ceremony is available on the Columbia webcast portal.

• Opening remarks by Dean Carlos J. Alonso (18:50)
• Student speaker Ari Ezra Waldman (22:50)
• Keynote address by Professor Sean C. Solomon (32:00)
• GSAC Faculty Mentoring Awards (46:00)
• Presidential Awards for Outstanding Teaching (49:50)
• Presentation of doctoral candidates (56:50)
• Final remarks by Dean Alonso (80:30)

See photos from the event on the GSAS Facebook page.

Ph.D. Convocation Booklet
Download as PDF.
 

University Commencement

On Wednesday, May 20, 2015, Dean Carlos J. Alonso presented the GSAS degree candidates to President Lee Bollinger for the official conferral of their degrees. Watch a video of the Dean's remarks at University Commencement.

The Graduate Student Center in 301-302 Philosophy Hall is open every day during the summer, except University holidays. The GSC serves as a space for interaction among graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty across all disciplines and schools.

Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekends.

Nous Espresso Bar
Located inside the GSC, Nous Espresso Bar offers a variety of food and drink: coffee, tea, assorted cold beverages, as well as salads and sandwiches made to order, a selection of fresh pastries, and sushi.

Nous summer hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays; closed on weekends.

Summer Special Offer
Every Monday from June 1 to August 31, 2015, buy one sandwich or salad ($7 and over) and get a FREE 12-ounce drip coffee while supplies last. Limit one offer per customer per week.

During the 2015-16 academic year, the Modern Language Association's "Connected Academics" project will offer 20 language and literature doctoral candidates and recent Ph.D. recipients in the New York City area an opportunity to participate in a proseminar dedicated to exploring multiple career options. Participants will learn how to use their teaching and research experience in a wide range of employment contexts and will develop skills that will be valuable in any career. They will also get a behind-the-scenes look at organizations that employ humanities Ph.D.s and conduct informational interviews with humanities Ph.D.s working in a variety of careers. Proseminar participants will receive a $2,000 stipend. Successful applicants must either hold a Ph.D. or be a doctoral candidate in language or literature and must be able to travel to New York City monthly.

Applications are due by June 15, 2015. For more information or to apply, please click here.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce an expansion of family-friendly initiatives and resources for fully-funded doctoral students in Arts and Sciences programs. Beginning in the fall 2015 semester, GSAS will offer:

1) A twelve-week period ofAccommodation for Parental Responsibilities. Students who give birth, adopt, or become legal guardians or foster parents, as well as students whose spouse or partner gives birth, can have responsibilities associated with their doctoral program suspended for twelve calendar weeks. During that time, students will retain any GSAS funding they were scheduled to receive. Parental accommodation typically begins after the date of birth, adoption, or guardianship, but must begin no later than six months after this date. (Please note: This policy supersedes the Policy on Suspension of Responsibilities.)

2) An optional semester of unpaid accommodation, in addition to the 12 weeks of paid accommodation. Students who elect to take a semester of unpaid accommodation after their Accommodation for Parental Responsibilities concludes will not receive a stipend, but will continue to have access to CU housing, campus facilities, and insurance, provided they maintain continuous registration. International students will have uninterrupted legal immigration status.

3) A $2,000 child-care subsidy per academic year for each child who is under the age of five and not yet attending kindergarten. If both parents are GSAS students, both of them may now apply individually for the child-care subsidy.

4) AnAdoption Assistance Program that will provide a reimbursement of up to $5,000 to help with the costs incurred by a graduate student parent who adopts while in a doctoral program.

5) A new campus lactation room, located in Butler Library, that will provide a private and convenient space for graduate students, faculty, and staff this fall.

GSAS is committed to supporting students with families and those who become parents while in graduate school. Contact gsas-studentaffairs@columbia.edu with any questions.

In recent years, GSAS students have successfully applied for the fellowships listed below. Please check each organization's website for eligibility criteria and application instructions, and to verify deadlines. For any fellowships that require you to apply through GSAS, we will provide more information in advance of the internal application deadline. Contact the GSAS Office of Financial Aid at gsas-finaid@columbia.edu with any questions.
 

Fulbright U.S. Student Program
Internal application deadline: Monday, September 14, 2015
Domestic students only
Provides grants for individually designed study/research projects in a wide range of fields; all students must submit a completed application through the Embark Application System by the GSAS internal deadline of Monday, September 14, 2015.

DAAD / German Academic Exchange Service
Internal application deadline: October 21, 2015
Open to domestic and international students
Short-term research grants and longer-term scholarships are available to fund study in Germany.

Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships
Application deadline: October 21, 2015
Open to domestic and international students
Supports doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences in the final year of dissertation writing

Hertz Foundation
Application deadline: October 30, 2015
Domestic students only
Supports doctoral students in the physical, biological and engineering sciences

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP)
Applicaion deadline: Late October/Early November, depending on discipline
Domestic students only
Supports graduate students pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in the natural sciences, social sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans
Application deadline: November 1, 2015
Must meet the organization's "New American" criteria
Supports up to two years of graduate study in any discipline

Ford Foundation Fellowships
Predoctoral Fellowship deadline: November 13, 2015
Dissertation and Postdoctoral Fellowships deadline: November 20, 2015
Domestic students only
Awards are made to individuals who have demonstrated superior academic achievement, are committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

American Association of University Women American Fellowships
Application deadline: November 15, 2015
Domestic students only
Supports women scholars who are completing dissertations or preparing research for publication

Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
Application deadline: November 15, 2015
Open to domestic and international students
Dissertation-writing fellowship supporting students in the humanities and social sciences. Ethical or religious values must be of central concern to the dissertation.

Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship
Internal application deadline: November 16, 2015
Open to domestic and international students
Open to current M.A. or Ph.D. students at Columbia who are Canadian citizens or applying to a doctoral program at a Canadian university; supports doctoral candidates pursuing research on one or more of the following themes: human rights and dignity, responsible citizenship, Canada in the world, and people and their natural environment.

USAID Research and Innovation Fellowship
Internal application deadline: TBD (typically in December)
Domestic students only
This program offers eligible NSF Graduate Research Fellows an opportunity to conduct research in seven countries throughout the developing world (Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Senegal, and South Africa). Research can be conducted in collaboration with local hosting institutions.

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
Application deadline: TBD (typically in December)
Domestic students only
Open to doctoral students in the sciences and engineering

Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship
Internal application deadline: TBD (typically in December)
Domestic students only
Supports students with outstanding character and ability who hold promise for achievement and distinction in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences.

Taiwan Columbia Scholarship
Application deadline: TBD (typically in January)
International students only
Provides three years of funding to up to 5 Ph.D. students who are Republic of China citizens and residents of Taiwan. Applicants must apply for admission to Columbia by the required deadline and for the scholarship directly through the Taiwan Ministry of Education website.

Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
Application deadline: TBD
Domestic students only
Provides outstanding benefits and opportunities to students pursuing doctoral degrees in fields that use high-performance computing to solve complex science and engineering problems

Boren Fellowships
Application deadline: TBD (typically in January)
Open to domestic and international students
Supports specialization in area study, language study, or increased language proficiency

Josephine De Kármán Fellowship
Application deadline: TBD (typically in January)
Open to domestic and international students
Supports doctoral students in any discipline who expect to defend their dissertation in 2016

Eisenhower/Roberts Graduate Fellowship Program
Internal application deadline: March 4, 2016
Open to domestic and international students
Supports doctoral research dealing with the role of government in a free society, citizen public service, public policy, and improved understanding of America's role in world affairs.

Summer Funding Opportunities
Application deadlines: February through April
See a sample list of summer funding opportunities for graduate students.

 
The External Fellowships page of the GSAS website includes links to additional resources to which Columbia subscribes, such as InfoEd SPIN (requires access via a Columbia IP address) and the Foundation Center database, as well as publicly available resources, such as the Cornell fellowships database and H-Net.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce an expansion of family-friendly initiatives and resources for fully-funded doctoral students in Arts and Sciences programs. Beginning in the fall 2015 semester, GSAS will offer:

1) A twelve-week period ofAccommodation for Parental Responsibilities. Students who give birth, adopt, or become legal guardians or foster parents, as well as students whose spouse or partner gives birth, can have responsibilities associated with their doctoral program suspended for twelve calendar weeks. During that time, students will retain any GSAS funding they were scheduled to receive. Parental accommodation typically begins after the date of birth, adoption, or guardianship, but must begin no later than six months after this date. (Please note: This policy supersedes the Policy on Suspension of Responsibilities.)

2) An optional semester of unpaid accommodation, in addition to the 12 weeks of paid accommodation. Students who elect to take a semester of unpaid accommodation after their Accommodation for Parental Responsibilities concludes will not receive a stipend, but will continue to have access to CU housing, campus facilities, and insurance, provided they maintain continuous registration. International students will have uninterrupted legal immigration status.

3) A $2,000 child-care subsidy per academic year for each child who is under the age of five and not yet attending kindergarten. If both parents are GSAS students, both of them may now apply individually for the child-care subsidy.

4) AnAdoption Assistance Program that will provide a reimbursement of up to $5,000 to help with the costs incurred by a graduate student parent who adopts while in a doctoral program.

5) A new campus lactation room, located in Butler Library, that will provide a private and convenient space for graduate students, faculty, and staff this fall.

GSAS is committed to supporting students with families and those who become parents while in graduate school. Contact gsas-studentaffairs@columbia.edu with any questions.

The Summer Research Program (SRP) began at Columbia University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1989.  More than 300 promising students from around the United States have taken advantage of this opportunity to conduct original research with distinguished Columbia faculty members. The goal of the program is to increase the presence of individuals from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education, based on such factors as race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and family history of formal education access.

During this summer's nine-week program, 17 undergraduate students have been conducting graduate-level research under the supervision of Columbia and Barnard faculty and graduate student mentors from the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.

On July 22, 2015, the 27th Annual SRP Research Symposium took place in 569 Lerner Hall. The talented young scholars presented their research to an audience composed of peers, faculty, administrators, graduate students, and family. See photos of the event on the GSAS Facebook page or download the event program (PDF).

SRP Presentations

Gabriela P. Barrios
Faculty Mentor: Karen Benezra
“Varying Narratives: The Agency of Community Narratives as Represented in Cartucho”

Clair Beltran
Faculty Mentor: Van Tran
“Fields of Difference: Differences in Usage and Perception of Urban Park Spaces”

Melissa Espinosa
Faculty Mentor: Robert Y. Shapiro
“In Our Land: What Factors Influence Public Opinion on Immigration?”

Isaiah Gibson
Faculty Mentor: Josef Sorett
“Just(us) the Black and the Black Church: A Case Study of Social Justice in Harlem’s St. Luke AME Church”

Jeremy L. Glover
Faculty Mentor: Patricia Dailey
“Blurred Understandings and Interpretations: A Queer Reading of Two Women in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales”

Ahmad Greene-Hayes
Faculty Mentor: Celia Naylor
“Black Women’s and Men’s Legacies and Activism: Legal Discourse and Literary Interventions against Sexual Violence, 1990-Present”

Chibuokem Ikwuazom
Faculty Mentor: Maura Boldrini
“SSRIs Upregulate Expression of 5-HT_1A Receptor mRNA in the Dentate Gyrus of Major Depression Disorder Patients”

Aleena Khan
Faculty Mentor: Robert Y. Shapiro
“American Public Opinion of the United States’ Standpoint on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict”

Brittanie L. Lewis
Faculty Mentor: Marwa Elshakry
“The Iranian Woman in the Chador: Symbolic Representation of Nationhood in the 1970s”

Syeda Z. Malliha
Faculty Mentor: Robert Y. Shapiro
“What Factors Influence Public Opinion on Natural Disasters?”

Victoria Mogollón Montagne
Faculty Mentor: Aaron Fox
“Preparing for the Show: Ideologies of Children’s Development at Two NYC Community Music Programs”

Cheswayo G. Mphanza
Faculty Mentor: Farah Griffin
“Tha Block is Hot*: Black Aesthetics in A Street in Bronzeville”

Andrea Penman-Lomeli
Faculty Mentor: Joseph Slaughter
“Bodies that Work: Citizenship and the Rendering of Chicana/o Identity in Tomás Rivera’s …y no se lo tragó la tierra”

Tara S. Ramírez
Faculty Mentor: Alexander Sobolevsky
“Expression Screening of TRP Channels for Structural and Biochemical Studies”

Debanjan Roychoudhury
Faculty Mentor: Van Tran
“All Eyez on Me: Surveillance and Policing in West Harlem’s Neighborhood of Hamilton Heights”

Madelene Santizo
Faculty Mentor: Van Tran
“Eres lo que Comes: Ethnic Restaurants and the (Re)Production of Cultural Identities in Upper Manhattan”

Andres Villegas
Faculty Mentor: Holly Moore
“Role of a Cell Cycle Regulator in Subcortical Parvalbumin Interneurons: Implication for Schizophrenia”

Program Directors

Isabel Geathers, Assistant Dean for Academic Diversity, GSAS
Samantha Shapses, Associate Dean of Students, GSAS

Graduate Student Mentors

Westenley Alcenat, History
Cesar Colon-Motijo, Music
Nijah Cunningham, English & Comparative Literature
Brittany Fox, Sociology
Tiana Reid, English & Comparative Literature
Viviana Rivera-Burgos, Political Science
Ciara Torres, Neurology (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Devon Wade, Sociology

The 2015 Summer Research Program is supported by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Leadership Alliance, the Creating Connections Consortium (C3), and the National Science Foundation.

We cordially invite you to join members of Columbia University Press on Thursday, September 24, at 3:00 p.m. in the Seminar Room of the Graduate Student Center, 302 Philosophy Hall, for a presentation on the scholarly publication process.

Representatives from CUP will address a variety of topics, including choosing a press; writing a proposal; the peer review process and approval boards; incorporating third-party material; and an overview of the editing, production, and marketing processes.

The panel will consist of Eric Schwartz, Editorial Director of Columbia University Press and editor for sociology and neuroscience; and Philip Leventhal, senior editor for literary and film studies, journalism, and U.S. history, and web marketing manager.

We request that you RSVP online. You may submit questions in advance, which the panel will attempt to address during the presentation. There will also be a Q&A period.

These sessions are sponsored by Columbia University Press, the Office of the Executive Vice President of Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. 

The Graduate Student Center in 301-302 Philosophy Hall is open daily during the fall semester, except University holidays. The GSC serves as a space for interaction among graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty across all disciplines and schools.

Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekends. These hours are different from those of the Nous Espresso Bar, which appear below.

Nous Espresso Bar
Located inside the GSC, Nous Espresso Bar offers a variety of food and drink: coffee, tea, assorted cold beverages, as well as salads and sandwiches made to order, a selection of fresh pastries, and sushi. Nous now serves Stumptown coffee and Rishi Organic teas, and is now open on weekends.  

Nous fall hours are 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Fridays; 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; and 12:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. 

Beginning the week of Monday, October 19, Nous will be offering two coffees from a Guest Roaster, Noble Coffee Roasting, based in Ashland, OR, until mid-November. The drip coffee offering is the Kenya Muiri Estate (juicy and smooth body, flavors of strawberry and peach), and the pour-over coffee is the Honduras Los Cipreses (silky and soft body, flavors of guava and pienapple). 

Nous will be open on Monday, November 2, and closed on Tuesday, November 3, in observance of the University Election Day holiday.  

“By funding fellowships, we can provide support forstudents and their research for generations to come.What better way to show our appreciation to Columbia?” Join the Bahary brothers in supporting GSAS for Columbia Giving Day on October 21, 2015. 

For brothers Kamel, Emil, and Bill Bahary, Columbia University is more than just their alma mater. It is their intellectual home—a place that laid the foundation for their careers and lives and that continues to inspire them.

Only a short time after arriving in America from Iran, a young Kamel Bahary ’54CC had to decide on a college. “I mentioned to my headmaster that I’d chosen to go to a college in Ohio," recalls Kamel. "He asked if I’d ever considered staying in New York City.”

Upon his headmaster’s suggestion, Kamel applied to Columbia and was accepted. “This was in August, by the way, ”says Kamel, “so when I met with the director of admissions, he was quick to point out that school would be starting that next week!”

Kamel’s younger brothers didn't follow him to Columbia, at least not right away. Emil ’57BUS, ’62SEAS, ’69SEAS completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell; and Bill ’61GSAS went to Harvard, yet both returned to the city for graduate school at Columbia.

All three brothers look back fondly on their Columbia days. “The arts, sciences, humanities, genetics—everything I studied helped make a frame for my life,” says Kamel, “and I was learning from the finest teachers in the world.”

Emil recalls the community of fellow scholars and the friendships he formed, many of which he still enjoys to this day. “Columbia was an outstanding environment for learning and personal growth,” he says.

Bill agrees. “It laid the groundwork for a life of learning, understanding, and adapting,” he says. “The preparation helped guide me through several different phases of my career.”

Today the brothers share an interest in understanding the connections among the mind, the brain, and the body. Inspired in part by the writings of Nobel laureate Dr. Eric Kandel, co-director of the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia, and with the hope that research in this area could lead to treatments for the neurological diseases that affect our aging population, the brothers chose to endow scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students in neuroscience and biological chemistry.

They each established one or more charitable remainder unitrusts, a type of trust that makes lifetime payments to you (or other beneficiaries you designate) with the remainder going to Columbia for the use you specify.

Kamel’s gifts will establish the Kamel S. Bahary Scholarship Fund, funding scholarships for Columbia College students majoring in neuroscience, and the Kamel S. Bahary Fellowship Fund, funding fellowships for doctoral students studying neuroscience in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Emil’s gifts will create two Emil S. Bahary Fellowship Funds: one supporting fellowships for doctoral students studying neuroscience in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and one supporting fellowships for doctoral students in the department of biomedical engineering at The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Bill’s gift will establish the William and Susan Bahary Endowment Fund, funding fellowships for doctoral students in the chemistry department of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, with preference given to those studying biological chemistry and mind-brain chemistry.

“These gifts are something tangible,” says Bill. “When you leave money to an heir, anything can happen; but with a fellowship or other endowment, you know exactly what your gift will be used for and that the benefit lasts in perpetuity.”

Bill adds that he and his brothers are not making their gifts to Columbia with the intention of inspiring others to give. "If that happens, great,” he says, “but we give because it inspires us. It feels good doing it, and it motivates us to continue doing more of what we love.”

Rethink is a community outreach program that promotes engagement with philosophical subject matter outside a traditional academic context. Rethink is the winner of the 2015 American Philosophical Association (APA) and the Philosophy Documentation Center (PDC) Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs.

Partnering with organizations based in Harlem and the Financial District, our volunteers lead discussion workshops on topics such as power, authority, epistemic justification, testimony, decision-making, responsibility, authenticity, punishment, racism, and equality. We aim to foster intellectual autonomy in the distinct populations with whom we engage: court-involved youth, and victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking. Many important philosophical topics emerge from consideration of everyday questions, and thus philosophy can be pursued without extensive reference to scholarly texts and without relying on a traditional teacher-student classroom model.

We aim not only to help our participants develop habits of reflection and critical scrutiny, but also to demonstrate to a wider public the value of philosophy and its ability to foster rational deliberation and persuasion.

Columbia Philosophy PhD and MA students, in partnership with volunteers from other academic departments at Columbia and other area universities, meet in groups of 2 or more to offer discussion sessions with the following institutions:

- Harlem Justice Community Program
- Fortune Society
- Sanctuary for Families

Read more about our program at Daily Nous, including an interview with Rethink co-founder Max Hayward. Rethink maintains strong links with Columbia’s long-standing school-based Philosophy Outreach program, whose website can be found here.

For additional information, please contact: Adam Blazej, ab3926@columbia.edu, or Ignacio Ojea, imo2110@columbia.edu.

Columbia University has a new Global Travel website, which outlines important information for all students who will be traveling internationally as part of their studies or research.

Before departing on an international trip, you must register your trip details with ISOS MyTrips.

GSAS strongly encourages students to familiarize themselves with all travel risks, alerts, warnings, and other resources available on the Global Travel website. For more information, including travel checklists for students and faculty, please click here. 

Co-sponsored by the Center for Career Education and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the "Career Pathways for Ph.D.s" series is an opportunity for Ph.D. students to discuss career options outside the academy with GSAS alumni in a small-group format. The speakers will candidly share their experiences navigating the job-search process and successfully landing new careers. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about career options, job-search skills, career transitions, and networking skills.

Sessions are open to Ph.D. students and will be held in the Columbia Alumni Center (622 West 113th Street) in Schapiro Room 804. Space is limited; advance registration is required.

Thursday, October 15, 2015
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Investment Manager Stephen Lee, Ph.D. '97, Modern Eurpoean History 

Tuesday, November 10, 2015
6:00-8:00 p.m. 
Physicist Mark Jackson, Ph.D. '04, Theoretical Physics  

Thursday, December 10, 2015
6:00-8:00 p.m. 
Management Consultant Josh Wolff, '10, American History

Thursday, February 4, 2016
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Credit Risk Officer Jim Chonko, Ph.D. '06, Physics 

The Alliance Program has awarded 19 students with the PhD Mobility Grant. The Alliance Call for Doctoral Mobility is intended to support and finance transatlantic research projects of the highest quality, in all disciplines under a joint supervision of faculty members from Columbia, Sciences Po, Paris 1, and Ecole Polytechnique. This year the Alliance Program awarded the largest number of students since the launch of the program.

Read more:

• Alliance news bulletin

The American Academy in Rome recently announced the winners of the Rome Prize Fellowship, an annual award which supports advanced independent work in the arts and humanities. The award provides the opportunity to participate in a residency at the Academy, where recipients are encouraged to pursue their individual work as part of a unique and dynamic international community. Recipients are selected by independent juries through a national competition process; they receive a stipend, workspace, and room and board for six months to two years in Rome.

For the second year in a row, a Columbia student in the DMA Composition program has been awarded this prestigious prize. Christopher Trapani, conductor and performer, was among the 29 artists and scholars selected. Last year’s winner, Nina C. Young, is currently finishing her Rome Prize year. This extraordinary two-year run for Columbia graduate students is eloquent testimony to the continuing excellence and growing renown of our DMA program in Composition.

Click here to read more.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce an expansion of family-friendly initiatives and resources for fully-funded doctoral students in Arts and Sciences programs. Beginning in the fall 2015 semester, GSAS will offer:

1) A twelve-week period ofAccommodation for Parental Responsibilities. Students who give birth, adopt, or become legal guardians or foster parents, as well as students whose spouse or partner gives birth, can have responsibilities associated with their doctoral program suspended for twelve calendar weeks. During that time, students will retain any GSAS funding they were scheduled to receive. Parental accommodation typically begins after the date of birth, adoption, or guardianship, but must begin no later than six months after this date. (Please note: This policy supersedes the Policy on Suspension of Responsibilities.)

2) An optional semester of unpaid accommodation, in addition to the 12 weeks of paid accommodation. Students who elect to take a semester of unpaid accommodation after their Accommodation for Parental Responsibilities concludes will not receive a stipend, but will continue to have access to CU housing, campus facilities, and insurance, provided they maintain continuous registration. International students will have uninterrupted legal immigration status.

3) A $2,000 child-care subsidy per academic year for each child who is under the age of five and not yet attending kindergarten. If both parents are GSAS students, both of them may now apply individually for the child-care subsidy.

4) AnAdoption Assistance Program that will provide a reimbursement of up to $5,000 to help with the costs incurred by a graduate student parent who adopts while in a doctoral program.

5) A new campus lactation room, located in Butler Library, that will provide a private and convenient space for graduate students, faculty, and staff this fall.

GSAS is committed to supporting students with families and those who become parents while in graduate school. Contact gsas-studentaffairs@columbia.edu with any questions.

For the latest updates, visit the GSAS blog.

Dean Carlos J. Alonso sent the letter below to all graduate students in the Arts and Sciences on Monday, January 30, 2017:

Dear Students,

Many of you are distressed, and understandably so, about the recent executive order banning entry to the United States from seven predominantly Muslim countries. I, too, am deeply concerned about this abrupt change in policy because of the human cost that it exacts, and because it undermines our ability to engage in research and teaching with talented scholars from across the world.

The Graduate School has been in constant touch with the offices at Columbia that manage relations with the federal government and monitor its policies, seeking to assess the ramifications of this order for our graduate students. The International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO) has been working directly with each affected student. We will keep you apprised of any new developments, since the government itself appears to be revising the order as it implements it.

Non-immigrant visa holders and permanent residents from the countries implicated have been strongly advised by ISSO to avoid all international travel for the time being. According to our records, GSAS visa holders from these countries (there are ten such students) have already returned to the U.S. Nevertheless, if you know of a student from one of the affected countries who is abroad, please write immediately to David B. Austell, Associate Provost and Director of the ISSO, at david.austell@columbia.edu. For information on immigration-related issues, international students and scholars should contact ISSO at (212) 854-3587 or isso@columbia.edu.

I want to assure you that we are giving this matter our undivided attention, and that we will support to the fullest all students affected by this order. If you have any questions about how this order may affect you or those for whom you care, we recommend that you contact ISSO, and that you avail yourself of the resources below as needed. If you have concerns about how it may affect research travel or your academic progress in general, please contact the GSAS Office of the Dean at (212) 854-2861 or gsas-dean@columbia.edu.

Sincerely,

Carlos J. Alonso, Dean

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GSAS Office of Student Affairs
Phone: (212) 854-4932
Email: gsas-studentaffairs@columbia.edu
The GSAS Office of Student Affairs supports student wellness in a number of ways, discussing student concerns and connecting students to resources and services available across the university.

GSAS Office of Academic Diversity
Email: gsas-diversity@columbia.edu
The GSAS Office of Academic Diversity fosters an inclusive, well-resourced, academically successful graduate student body. One-on-one meetings with Isabel Geathers, Assistant Dean for Academic Diversity, are available by appointment.

International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO)
Phone: (212) 854-3587
Email: isso@columbia.edu
ISSO is the Columbia’s international community’s resource for immigration-related needs, providing advisory and documentation services and information on a host of issues.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS)
Phone: (212) 854-2878
CPS Services supports the psychological and emotional well-being of the campus community by providing counseling, consultation, and crisis intervention—all of which adhere to strict standards of confidentiality.

To read President Lee C. Bollinger's letter to the Columbia community and the full amicus brief, click here.

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