A HIGHER DEGREE OF INTEREST…Commencement season, Class Day speakers and the usual Columbia mind-boggle.
Commencement is May 20. See honorary degree recipients, CAA Alumni Medalists, and other honorees here.
Class Day Speaker Highlights
Here are a few notables among the many inspiring Class Day speakers. Some Class Days require tickets and seating will be limited, so check School listings.
US permanent representative to the UN Samantha Power and honorees Simi Linton, Nadia Lopez, and Diana Nyad, champion long-distance swimmer. Barnard College. May 17 at 2 p.m.
University Trustee, high-tech entrepreneur, and venture capitalist Benjamin Horowitz. Engineering School. May 18 at 5 p.m.
LA mayor Eric Garcetti. Columbia College. May 19 at 9:30 a.m.
New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer. Graduate School of Journalism. May 19 at 10 a.m.
House of Cards creator Beau Willimon. School of the Arts. May 20 at 2 p.m.
US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy. School of International and Public Affairs. May 21 at 3:30 p.m.
May 1–7
School of the Arts
Columbia University Film Festival
A week of screenings, screenplay and teleplay readings, and special panels. Panel topics include film studies past, present, and future; DIY comedy; and a live creative pitch competition. Purchase tickets here.165 West 65th Street, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater. (Reminder)
May 6
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Kavli Institute for Brain Science | Zuckerman Institute
Getting Beyond a Blind Date with Science
Alan Alda, co-founder of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, will draw on personal experiences, including his years as host of the TV series Scientific American Frontiers, to explore why it is important for scientists, engineers, and health professionals to communicate effectively with the public. Introduction by Eric Kandel, co-director of the Zuckerman Institute. RSVP here. Miller Theatre.
May 7
6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Graduate School of Journalism
Report Launch: The Traffic Factories
How do analytics shape newsroom culture, internal dynamics, and daily work? How can publications create a culture around metrics that aligns with their organizational mission and values? Caitlin Petre explores these questions via ethnographic research on Chartbeat, Gawker Media, and the New York Times. RSVP here. Graduate School of Journalism, Brown Institute for Media Innovation.
May 7
1:15 p.m.
The Heyman Center for the Humanities
Teaching from the Archive of Women’s Incarceration
How do we teach the history of imprisonment in the United States when mass incarceration continues to shape our current social landscape? Emily Hainze will speak about a curriculum project she is developing in partnership with the Prison Public Memory Project, a non-profit dedicated to recovering, preserving, and interpreting the historical artifacts and cultural memory of prisons. The Heyman Center, Common Room, second floor.
May 8
12 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
The Heyman Center for the Humanities
The Social, Legal, and Political Life of Money
Authors Joel Kaye (Barnard, history), Christine Desan (Harvard, law), Rebecca Spang (Indiana University, history), and Nigel Dodd (London School of Economics and Political Science, sociology) will share insights from their research on the legal determination of money, the political instrumentality of money, and the transformative power of a redefinition of money. The Heyman Center, Common Room, second floor.
May 14 – 15
8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
School of International and Public Affairs
Conference on Internet Governance and Cyber-security
Academics, policy makers, entrepreneurs, technologists, and corporate executives will discuss the critical Internet policy issues both within nations and globally. Research by the Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG) as well as Columbia faculty will be displayed. Register here. 1161 Amsterdam Avenue, The Italian Academy. (Reminder)
Picks are campus or NYC events of high general interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. By design, regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. I always appreciate hearing from you about future events!