News
Endeavoring to reestablish a tradition from the past, last summer the GSAA reinstated the School of General Studies Owl Award. Originally created by Barbara Levy ’48 and Marshall Page ’35, for years the Owl Award was given to graduates, benefactors, and faculty members in recognition of outstanding service to the School.
On January 25, five Postbac Premed students visited The Dwelling Place, a women’s shelter in Midtown Manhattan, to teach the art of jewelry making and engage in conversations with residents. The event was sponsored by the recently-created student organization Crafting for a Cause: A Wellness Initiative.
The Mid-Semester Success Series is designed to give students an opportunity to address areas of personal growth, wellness, and community building in preparation to enter the second half of the semester both energized and equipped to reach their potential.
GS student and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Andrew Ertl has been selected a Class of 2018 Schwarzman Scholar. He will receive a fully-funded scholarship to study at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing in pursuit of a master’s degree in global affairs.
Nur Arafeh ’13 was recently selected as a 2017 Rhodes Scholar, and will pursue a Doctor of Philosophy degree in international development at Oxford University next fall.
Peter James Kiernan, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and current GS student, has been selected as one of 12 members of the 2018 Class of George J. Mitchell Scholars. He will complete one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in conflict resolution and reconciliation at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
Columbia University Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program students will soon have greater access to Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine at Hofstra University through a new linkage program agreement. The agreement will provide top students with the ability to expedite their application to Hofstra Northwell.
GS student Yeonmi Park was born in Hyesan, a hub of river transportation in the northern Ryanggang, North Korea. Growing up under the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Park left school at nine years old to work on a local farm. At 13, she fled with her mother across the frozen Yalu River into China, where they were held captive by traffickers for two years before escaping to South Korea by way of the Gobi desert.
Columbia University has been designated a 2017 Military Friendly® School by Victory Media, a trusted source for service members and their families. The Military Friendly School title is awarded to universities who demonstrate a consistent commitment to their student veterans.
Around the world, Columbians came together on October 26, 2016 to give back and pay it forward on Giving Day, setting new records for participation and giving. Alumni, donors, students, and supporters of GS raised over $200,000 for the School of General Studies Annual Fund.
This fall, the School of General Studies welcomes over 650 incoming students who began the week-long New Student Orientation Program (NSOP) on Monday with breakfast in Low Memorial Library.
Each year the Carnegie Corporation of New York recognizes the contributions of naturalized citizens with its "Great Immigrants: The Pride of America" initiative. This year, Deogratias "Deo" Niyizonkiza '01, Founder and CEO of Village Health Works, a non-profit organization in Burundi committed to providing primary health care services and supports programs, joins a distinguished group of nominees.
Dennis Zhao is one of only eight recipients of the 2016 Google Student Veterans of America (SVA) Scholarship. He received $10,000 to use toward his pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in computer science, as well as an invitation to participate in the Google Scholars’ Retreat at the company’s Mountain View, California headquarters, which he took part in this past June.
Alumnus Richard Space ’05 was honored at Columbia University’s 2016 Commencement ceremony with the University Alumni Medal. The award is the University’s highest honor given to alumni, in recognition of distinguished service of 10 years or more to the University.
More than 200 GS alumni and guests took advantage of various activities including the Alumni Lunch with Dean Awn, tours of the Morningside campus and the surrounding neighborhood, a presentation about the burgeoning Manhattanville site, mini-Core classes lead by Arts & Science faculty, and a cocktail reception and dinner followed by the Starlight Reception.