Opening Doors, Transforming Lives
Under President Lee C. Bollinger’s leadership, and for the first time in the history of Columbia, the University has launched a fundraising initiative singularly focused on improving financial aid for all students. As the only undergraduate college for nontraditional students in the Ivy League, GS is in a unique position to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity and renew its commitment to attracting, educating, and supporting the best and brightest nontraditional students. Our goal is to raise $60 million—almost doubling our current endowment—over the next four years.
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Meet the Team
Izabela Rutkowski is the Director of Alumni Relations at the Columbia School of General Studies. Izabela comes from the Mathematics of Finance Program, where she served as Associate Director. In that role, she led the strategic and operational initiatives of the department including managing the alumni relations for the Master of Arts program. Before that, Izabela was the Assistant Director of Career Development and Alumni Relations at GSAS and began her Columbia journey at the Graduate School of Journalism, where she earned her MS in Journalism.
Carolyn Bakich is the Leadership Gift Officer at the Columbia University School of General Studies. A proud GS alumna, she is excited to give back to her alma mater by supporting prospective and current students, as well as alumni, through fundraising and engagement initiatives. Before joining Columbia GS, Carolyn served as Associate, Annual Giving and Membership at The Juilliard School and as Associate Director of Student Life at Educational Housing Services. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the Columbia University School of General Studies in 2025.