Century Celebration

Due to the uncertain and evolving situation with COVID-19, the Century Celebration on April 4 will be postponed until a later date. This is part of a larger decision, with guidance from the University, to suspend alumni events of 20+ people until further notice.

The health and safety of our Columbia community, including our alumni and friends, is our priority. For more information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 website for updates and news.

Updates on this rescheduled event will be shared as soon as we are able.  Until then, please consider participating in the Centennial celebration digitally through our March Virginia Woolf virtual book club, by submitting your Core Haiku or stories, and much more.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

A daylong celebration at Columbia College, offering fun and interactive ways to revisit the many facets of the Core Curriculum while honoring its continuing impact. Enjoy talks, workshops, a documentary, and an anniversary celebration all with alumni, students and Core faculty.

Delight in the Core: Lunch, Family-Friendly Workshops, Talks and Exhibitions

12:00-3:00PM

Bring your family, or come alone, for lunch and an interactive afternoon.  Enjoy an art studio, live musical experiences, a science lab and readings of favorite Lit Hum stories. Get your hands dirty in the art studio, then get down and dirty with some of the great works you studied as a student!

Start with lunch and the premiere of a documentary by award-winning film director Ric Burns CC’78, then select from a variety of rotating activities and classes.

The Core of the Core: Lasting Meaning in a Changing World

3:00-6:30PM

The Core Curriculum distinguishes Columbia College in the world of higher education and in society at large, with a carefully designed set of classes that encourage reflection, conversation and openness to difficult ideas, extraordinary beauty and enduring questions about life.  Help celebrate this College treasure with a keynote about the importance of the humanities, featuring political philosophers and public intellectuals Dr. Cornel West and Professor Robert George.

Stay for the Core’s anniversary party, 100 years in the making, featuring Core characters, refreshments and much more.

The keynote will be a seated talk and might not be appropriate for families with young children.