Green finance, writers and lives, the police and communities, Remnick and magazines, Fascists and art, global politics and Chinese immigration, two masters depict African-American migration, and Bob Dylan’s baffling genius, all blowin’ in the February wind.

February 4 – a two-fer!
6 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
The Earth Institute | School of Continuing Education
The Field of Sustainable Finance: Foundations and Future Growth
The growing field of Sustainable Finance combines elements of corporate sustainability and financial principles including green accounting and carbon accounting, environmental markets, project finance, asset management and sustainable investment, and the impacts of environmental issues on capital markets. The following academics and practitioners will discuss how sustainable finance has developed and evolved: Steven Cohen, executive director and chief operating officer of the Earth Institute; Satyajit Bose, lecturer in the discipline of economics; Travis Bradford, director, energy and environment concentration, SIPA. Speakers: Frank Barbarino, vice president, Goldman Sachs; Michael Davis, director, institutional client relationships, Calvert Investments; Sonal Mahida, head of North America, networks and global outreach, the Principles for UN Responsible Investment Initiative; Kevin Parker, CEO, Sustainable Insight Capital Management; Amy Springsteel, director of corporate responsibility, Voya Financial. RSVP Required. The Columbia Club, 15 W. 43rd St.

7 p.m.
School of the Arts | Heyman Center for the Humanities
Creative Writing Lecture Series: Michael Cunningham
Author Michael Cunningham delivers a talk on his work and the art of writing as part of the School of the Arts’ Creative Writing Lecture Series and the Heyman Center for the Humanities’ Writing Lives Series. Cunningham is the author of the novels The Snow Queen, A Home at the End of the World, Flesh and Blood, The Hours (winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and Pulitzer Prize), Specimen Days, and By Nightfall, as well as the non-fiction book, Land’s End: A Walk in Provincetown. Dodge Hall, Room 501. (Reminder)

February 5 – a tripleheader…
9 a.m. –12 p.m.
School of International and Public Affairs | Amadou Diallo Foundation (ADF)
Conference on Improving Police-Community Relations
A free event to discuss ways to restore trust between our communities and law enforcement. Welcome remarks from Dean Merit E. Janow and keynote speaker Hon. Eric L. Adams, Brooklyn borough president. The panelists include: Kadiatou Diallo, ADF president; Hon. David Dinkins, ADF board chair; Hon. David Paterson, ADF board member; Mr. Norman Siegel, ADF board treasurer; and Mr. Graham Weatherspoon, ADF board member. Q&A session will follow the panel discussion. Coffee and light breakfast will be served. RSVP required. International Affairs Building, 15th floor.

6:15 p.m.
Heyman Center for the Humanities
Music for Words: Bob Dylan
Christopher Ricks, the William M. and Sara B. Warren Professor of the Humanities at Boston University, and Sean Wilentz, the George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton University, will discuss The Lyrics: Since 1962, the recently published comprehensive collected lyrics of Bob Dylan. Ricks collaborated with Dylan to complete the publication of the massive 960 page tome. In the words of Ricks, “For fifty years, all the world has delighted in Bob Dylan’s books of words and more than words: provocative, mysterious, touching, baffling, not-to-be-pinned-down, intriguing, and a reminder that genius is free to do as it chooses.” Heyman Center, 2nd floor, Common Room.

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
The Italian Academy
Music, Fascism, and the Holocaust 
Each winter, Europe and the United Nations commemorate the victims of the Holocaust on the date of Auschwitz’s liberation in 1945. The Italian Academy presents an annual academic event exploring issues of discrimination and crimes against humanity. This year’s program includes author, Harvey Sachs (Curtis Institute of Music), and music professor, Michael Beckerman (NYU). The Italian Academy, 1161 Amsterdam Ave. (Reminder)

February 12 – another two-fer!
6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Asian American Studies | Department of History
University Lecture with Mae M. Ngai
Mae M. Ngai, Professor of History and Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies, will give a lecture on the local politics in the gold-mining regions of the United States, Australia, and South Africa, where Euro-Americans first encountered large-scale Chinese immigration, the differences in politics among them, and the dynamics that brought them together into an idea with global force and reach. This lecture, “The Chinese Question and Global Politics in the Nineteenth Century,” will consider the broader implications for thinking about the relationship between the local and the global. This event is hosted by President Lee C. Bollinger and Provost John H. Coatsworth with a Q&A session followed by a reception. RSVP required. Rotunda, Low Memorial Library. (Reminder)

6 p.m.
Graduate School of Journalism
The Delacorte Lectures: David Remnick, Editor of The New Yorker
David Remnick speaks as part of the spring 2015 Delacorte Lecture Series. The series examines aspects of magazine journalism by a leader in the field of magazine publishing. Remnick has been editor of The New Yorker since 1998. Under his direction, the magazine has garnered 149 nominations for National Magazine Awards and has won 37. In addition, Remnick was named Advertising Age’s Editor of the Year in 2000. The Delacorte Lectures is headed by Victor Navasky, the George T. Delacorte Professor in Magazine Journalism and director of the Delacorte Center. Pulitzer Hall, 3rd floor, World Room. (Reminder)

February 19–20
Department of Art History | Archaeology
Ghosts of the Past: Nazi-Looted Art and Its Legacies
An international conference co-organized by Columbia University’s Department of Art History and Archaeology and Deutsches Haus, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut and the Jewish Museum, New York. “Ghosts of the Past: Nazi-Looted Art and Its Legacies” convenes an international group of art historians, historians, curators, and scholars in provenance research and the history of German art dealership to explore an unexamined chapter of the legacies of the Third Reich. The conference opens with a keynote lecture at the Jewish Museum by Olaf Peters, a professor at Martin Luther Universität Halle-Wittenberg and curator of the recent exhibition “Degenerate Art” at the Neue Galerie. Register here. 501 Schermerhorn Hall, 8th floor.

February 20
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery
Bearden and Lawrence: Migrations
In coordination with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York, ten speakers, in ten minutes each, will reflect on personal journeys or odysseys, black migration (both nationally and internationally), and the two great African American master artists of the twentieth century: Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence. “Bearden and Lawrence: Migrations” is inspired by the conjunction of Columbia’s current Bearden exhibition followed by MoMA’s new forthcoming presentation of Lawrence’s complete “Migration” series. An evening of reflections with Deborah Cullen, Leah Dickerman, Mel Edwards, Farah Jasmine Griffin, Robert O’Meally, Clifford Owens, Jodi Roberts, Robert Stepto, and Lowery Stokes Sims. Register here. 501 Schermerhorn Hall, 8th floor.

Highlighted above are general interest campus or NYC events of possible high interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. This listing is highly selective by design — regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events!

Digital technology and health, kinesthetics and physics, New Yorker editor David Remnick on magazines, nursing experts on the future of health, scholars on music and the Holocaust–barely longer days bring much busier calendars as Columbia’s new semester kicks in.

January 28
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Mailman School of Public Health
The Role of Digital Health in Population Health, with Dennis Schmuland, chief health strategy officer, Microsoft.
What does it take to ensure population health? This year’s Grand Rounds on the Future of Public Health series addresses that question as renowned public health voices in technology, urban health, philanthropy, government, and more challenge our thinking on global challenges and help set the stage for the future of public health. Join Dean Linda P. Fried and Dennis Schmuland in considering and discussing what we must do as a society for the broadest possible manifestation of population health. Alumni Auditorium, 650 W. 168th Street. (Reminder)

February 3
7 p.m.
School of the Arts | Heyman Center for the Humanities
The Embodied Cognition Workshop: Dance and Physics
The intersection between kinesthetic imagination and scientific ideas is explored in this presentation by Yale University professors Emily Coates (dance) and Sarah Demers (physics). The presentation will include several outcomes of their collaborative venture, including excerpts of “Incarnations: Sketches for a Longer Work,” which Coates is currently developing for Dancespace’s Platform 2015, and a screening of their co-created short science-art film, “Three Views of the Higgs and Dance.” Michael Tuts, professor of physics at Columbia University, and Carrie Noland, professor of French and comparative literature at the University of California, Irvine and author of Agency and Embodiment: Performing Gestures/Producing Culture, will offer remarks in response to the presentation, followed by a conversation among the participants. Austin Quigley Black Box Theater in Lerner Hall. Please register for this event.

February 5
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
The Italian Academy
Music, Fascism, and the Holocaust with Michael Beckerman (NYU) and Harvey Sachs (Curtis Institute of Music). Europe and the United Nations commemorate the victims of the Holocaust each winter on the date of Auschwitz’s liberation in 1945. The Italian Academy presents an annual academic event exploring issues of discrimination and crimes against humanity. This year’s program includes a prominent author and a distinguished music professor. The Italian Academy, 1161 Amsterdam Ave.

February 10
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Center for Health Policy | School of Nursing Alumni Association
Leading Change: How Nursing Can Shape Health Care Policy moderated by Darlene Curley, executive director of the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare. Panelists include Sheila Burke, adjunct lecturer in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School and senior public policy advisor at Baker Donelson in Washington DC; Sally Dreslin, an alumna of the Columbia School of Nursing and executive deputy commissioner of the New York State Department of Health; and Stephen Ferrara, associate dean of clinical affairs at the Columbia School of Nursing. A reception will follow with alumni, students, and faculty. Faculty Club, College of Physicians & Surgeons, 630 W. 168th Street. RSVP here.

February 12
6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Asian American Studies | Department of History
President Lee C. Bollinger and Provost John H. Coatsworth host the
University Lecture with Mae M. Ngai “The Chinese Question and Global Politics in the Nineteenth Century”
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, some dozen countries passed laws excluding Chinese immigrants from their shores. This lecture considers local politics in the gold-mining regions of the United States, Australia, and South Africa, where Euro-Americans first encountered large-scale Chinese immigration, the differences in politics among them, and the dynamics that brought them together into an idea with global force and reach. The talk will consider the question, “[What] explains the emergence of Chinese exclusion in global politics and perceptions of the ‘Chinese Question’ as a global race problem?” The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience and a reception. Rotunda, Low Memorial Library. RSVP is required.

February 12
6 p.m.
Graduate School of Journalism
The Delacorte Lectures: David Remnick, Editor of The New Yorker
David Remnick speaks as part of the spring 2015 Delacorte Lecture Series. The Delacorte Lectures examine aspects of magazine journalism by a leader in the field of magazine publishing. Remnick has been editor of The New Yorker since 1998 and under his direction the magazine has garnered a 149 nominations for National Magazine Awards and has won 37. In 2001 and again in 2005, the magazine won an unprecedented five National Magazine Awards; in 2014, the magazine won four awards. In addition, in 2000 Remnick was named Advertising Age’s Editor of the Year. The Delacorte Lectures is headed by Victor Navasky, the George T. Delacorte Professor in Magazine Journalism and director of the Delacorte Center. Pulitzer Hall, 3rd floor, World Room. Refreshments will be served.

Highlighted above are general interest campus or NYC events of possible high interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. This listing is highly selective by design — regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events!

With venturesome thinking, affordable technologies, great writers, and some last thoughts (for now) on journalism post-Snowden — Columbia’s new year comes to life.

January 13
6:30 p.m.
Columbia Entrepreneurship | Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center
An Evening with Steve Blank at the Columbia Startup Lab
Interviewed by Professor Sheena Iyengar, faculty director, Columbia Business School Entrepreneurship Program. Steve Blank is a businessman, conservationist, investor, entrepreneur, and lecturer. Prior to his retirement, he founded or was a part of eight venture-backed companies. Blank moved from being an entrepreneur to teaching entrepreneurship to both undergraduate and graduate students at UC Berkeley, Stanford, Columbia, and UCSD. WeWork Soho West Lobby, 69 Charlton Street at Varick.

January 23
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
The Earth Institute
The Convergence of Smart Phones, Data, and Development, featuring Vijay Modi
Vijay Modi is a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University and an Earth Institute faculty member. He also led the UN Millennium Project effort on the role of energy and energy services in reaching the Millennium Development Goals. Currently, he is focused on making consumer-scaled versions of technology that is normally super-sized available to developing countries. “These are projects that are not typically driven by large amounts of funding, but they occur in places that are in need of innovation.” International Affairs Building, Room 1512. Please register for this event.

January 24
8 p.m.
School of the Arts | Miller Theatre
Renee Rosnes Quartet
With an improvisation freedom that the New York Times compared to John Coltrane, pianist Renee Rosnes has made a name for herself as an innovative composer, virtuosic player, and band leader. Joined by vibraphonist Steve Nelson, bassist Peter Washington, and Lewis Nash on drums, the Renee Rosnes Quartet’s hard-bop sound pulses with infectious energy, whether they’re playing inventive originals or breathing new life into jazz standards. 2960 Broadway at 116th Street.

Two from the Writing Lives Series:

January 28
7 p.m.
School of the Arts | Heyman Center for the Humanities
The Nonfiction Dialogues: Wayne Koestenbaum
Koestenbaum’s first collection of poetry, Ode to Anna Moffo and Other Poems, was chosen as a Village Voice Literary Supplement’s Favorite Book of 1990. His other books include My 1980s & Other Essays, The Anatomy of Harpo Marx, Blue Stranger With Mosaic Background, Best Selling Jewish Porn Films, Model Homes, The Milk of Inquiry, and Rhapsodies of A Repeat Offender. Koestenbaum is widely known as a cultural critic for his books on Jackie Kennedy and opera. Dodge Hall, Room 501.

February 4
7 p.m.
Creative Writing Lecture Series: Michael Cunningham
Michael Cunningham is the author of the novels The Snow Queen, A Home at the End of the World, Flesh and Blood, The Hours (winner of the Pen/Faulkner Award & Pulitzer Prize), Specimen Days, and By Nightfall, as well as the non-fiction book, Land’s End: A Walk in Provincetown. He lives in New York and is a senior lecturer in English and creative writing at Yale University. Dodge Hall, Room 501.

January 28
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Mailman School of Public Health
Grand Rounds on the Future of Public Health, with Dennis Schmuland, chief health strategy officer, Microsoft
What does it take to ensure population health? This year’s Grand Rounds on the Future of Public Health series addresses that question as renowned public health voices in technology, urban health, philanthropy, government, and more challenge our thinking on global challenges and help set the stage for the future of public health. Join Dean Linda P. Fried and Dennis Schmuland in considering and discussing what we must do as a society for the broadest possible manifestation of population health. Alumni Auditorium, 650 West 168th Street.

February 5
4:30 p.m.
Tow Center for Digital Journalism | Columbia Journalism Review
The Closing Event for Journalism After Snowden hosted by Tow Center director Emily Bell will feature the release of a major Pew/Columbia survey, a panel discussion on “Investigative Journalists and Digital Security Practices” with Amy Mitchell (Pew Research Center), David Sanger (the New York Times), Jesselyn Radack (Government Accountability Project), Trevor Timm (Freedom of the Press Foundation) Morgan Marquis-Boire (First Look Media), and a second panel on “National Security Reporting in the Age of Surveillance: A Conversation About Reporting Post-Snowden” with Dean Baquet, executive editor of the New York Times, Mary Baron, executive editor of the Washington Post, and Susan Glasser, editor of Politico, moderated by Steve Coll, Dean of Columbia Journalism School. At the Newseum in Washington D.C.

Highlighted above are (mostly) general interest campus or NYC events across a range of topics of possible high interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. This listing is highly selective by design — regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events!

Along with a few events, this week’s picks are links to Columbia hubs regularly providing great programming and news. Many of these have Facebooks, newsletters, or RSS feeds as well. Follow your bliss, sign up, pick your own, DIY!

December 6
10 a.m – 12:30 p.m.
Tell Me a Story: Family Day
Center for Jazz Studies | Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery
Readings of Bearden-themed children books, interactive jazz musical performances, and family gallery tours of the Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey exhibition every 30 minutes. Readers are the award-winning poet Mervyn Taylor, Broadway actress Sheria Irving, and movie actress Devyn Tyler! Free. Schermerhorn Hall, 8th Floor.

December 6
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
CUMC Symphony Orchestra presents: Messiah Sing!
Columbia University Medical Center, Bard Hall Student Lounge.

PROGRAMMING
CAA Arts Access
Center for Jazz Studies
Columbia Entrepreneurship
Columbia Global Calendar (University-wide)
Columbia University Libraries
CU168/CUMC Events Calendar
Earth Institute Events Calendar
Heyman Center for the Humanities
Mailman School of Public Health (Grand Rounds, Deans’ Series, and Special Seminars)
Miller Theatre
School of the Arts Public Programs
Studio-X
Tow Center for Digital Journalism
The University Lectures (University Programs and Events)
Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery
World Leaders Forum (including featured events)

NEWS
Columbia University News
CU168: News for and About CUMC (CUMC Office of Communications). Subscribe.

Taking on Ebola, riffing on Bearden, learning from Snowden, lecures on outer space and inner consciousness – so many reasons to be thankful for the Columbia community! Happy Thanksgiving!

December 1
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Columbia Club, multiple Schools, CAA
Strategies for Fighting Ebola: A Columbia University Summit
Leading experts from the University and other institutions will discuss specific strategies to end the Ebola epidemic. Panels address medical care and public health, containment and eradication, and public policy, economic, and business strategies. Faculty participants include Wafaa El-Sadr, MD(Mailman), Scott Hammer, MD (CUMC), Elaine Larson (Nursing), Stephen Morse, PhD (Mailman), Kathleen Crowley, AVP of environmental health and safety, Ranu Dhillon, MD (Earth Institute via Skype from Guinea), Irwin Redlener, MD (National Center for Disaster Preparedness), and Susan Michaels-Strasser (Nursing). Columbia University Club.

December 2
10 a.m.
Center for Jazz Studies
Improvisation in the Arts: A Symposium
Go if you can – and invite adventurous alumni and donors!
In this interactive program inspired by Columbia Explores A Black Odyssey, a luminary group of scholars and artists explore improvisation in music, literature, theology, cinema, dance, and critical theory. With author and humanities scholar Fred Moten; film director, writer, and theorist John Akomfrah Obe; professor and theologian J. Kameron Carter; dance and performance studies scholar Danielle Goldman; poet M. NourbeSe Philips; and musician Matana Roberts. Inspired by Bearden and, most importantly, together with the audience, the panel hopes to form a new experimental band. Faculty Room, Low Memorial Library.

December 3
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Journalism After Snowden – In Defense of Leaks, with Jill Abramson
Journalist Jill Abramson has spent the last 17 years in the most senior editorial positions at the New York Times, where she was the first woman to serve as Washington bureau chief, managing editor, and executive editor. Before joining the Times, she spent nine years at The Wall Street Journal as the deputy Washington bureau chief and an investigative reporter covering money and politics. She is currently a lecturer with the department of English at Harvard University. RSVP is required. Pulitzer Hall, 3rd floor, World Room.

6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Zuckerman Institute and Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Race Matters, but Not How You Think it Does: How Stereotypes Affect How We Live, Work, Play, and Pray with  Dr. Valerie Purdie-Vaughns
W.E.B. Du Bois used the term “double consciousness” to describe how societal structures shaped the ways in which African Americans viewed themselves, others, and their relations with American institutions. This talk will use the tools of psychology and neurobiology to show how “double consciousness” is experienced by many groups in American society, with implications for health and cognitive performance. Discussion includes recent findings in brain science that can be used by individuals to reduce stress and improve performance, and that could help bridge racial and gender disparities in the population. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard. (Reminder)

December 9
6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
University Lecture
Why We Explore the Solar System: The MESSENGER Mission to Mercury with Lamont-Doherty director Sean C. Solomon 
For decades, the exploration of Mercury lagged behind that of Venus and Mars because of Mercury’s proximity to the sun. Given that each of the four rocky inner planets of our solar system represents a distinct outcome of common physical and chemical processes, we cannot claim to know the workings of our own planet until we are also able to understand why our planetary neighbors are different. Discoveries by the MESSENGER spacecraft, the first to orbit the innermost planet, have substantially challenged many of the leading theories for those differences. Rotunda, Low Memorial Library.

Highlighted above are general interest campus or NYC events across a range of topics of possible interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. This listing is highly selective by design – regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links.

As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events! Best, Jerry

Climate change, fossil fuels and funding; race in the brain, on the gridiron, and beyond; artists working at a certain age – Columbia keeps exploring.

November 20
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Center for Jazz Studies
Acting Homer: A Staged Reading of the Odyssey
Part of Romare Bearden-related events known as “Columbia Explores A Black Odyssey,” “Acting Homer” features prominent actors readings key passages from the Odyssey. With Devyn Tyler ’13CC, Ty Jones, Richard Habersham, and Sean Patrick Thomas. Earl Hall Auditorium. (Reminder)

November 21
8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Columbia Business School | Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program and the Healthcare Industry Association (HCIA)
Columbia Business School 11th Annual Healthcare Conference: Using Data and Technology to Innovate, Value, and Reengineer Healthcare
Speakers and panelists explore biopharmaceuticals, medical technologies, payers, providers, HCIT, venture capital/private equity, M&A/financing, and healthcare entrepreneurship, and related topics. Networking opportunities include a lunchtime career fair with healthcare employers and a closing reception. New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway. (Reminder)

November 24
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Columbia Law School and the Earth Institute
Should Universities and Pension Funds Divest From Fossil Fuel Stocks?
Mounting scientific evidence of the perils of climate change is bringing growing pressure on universities, pension funds, foundations, religious institutions, and others to divest from the stock of fossil fuel companies. Hear from proponents and opponents of divestment, and from experts on the effect of divestment on portfolio value and its place in the corporate social responsibility movement. With Bennett Freeman, senior vice president, sustainability research and policy, Calvert Investments; Stephen Heintz, president, Rockefeller Brothers Fund; John Willis, portfolio manager, Sustainable Insight Capital Management; Christianna Wood, president and chief executive officer, Gore Creek Capital, Ltd. Moderated by Michael B. Gerrard, Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice and Director, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School. Jerome Greene Hall, Room 103.

December 2
6:15 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.
Heyman Center for the Humanities, School of the Arts, Columbia University Libraries, the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies
Old Masters: Spiegelman, Feiffer, Melamid
Legendary artists and authors Jules Feiffer and Art Spiegelman and painter and performance artist Alex Melamid will discuss the history and achievements of aging artists, with a focus on artists whose best-known works were completed in the later years of their lives. This event is sold out, but you may be able to get in by arriving early. The event will be first come, first seated at event start time to accommodate attendees without an RSVP. Italian Academy.

December 3
11 a.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Earth Institute
Congress Today: The Role of Campaign Finance on Environmental Legislation
As senior staff members, Leon G. Billings and Thomas C. Jorling led the Senate environment subcommittee that developed major environmental legislation in the 1970s, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Superfund Act, a series of environmental laws that defined the direction and character of environmental policy in the U.S. and globally. Here Billings and Jorling discuss Congress today and why the federal government has not taken substantial action on environmental law for  several decades, with a look at the evolution of campaign finance laws and how campaign finance and fundraising impact policy and legislation. RSVP required. For further information, please contact Hayley Martinez: [email protected]. International Affairs Building, Room 407.

December 3
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Zuckerman Institute and Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Race Matters, but Not How You Think it Does: How Stereotypes Affect How We Live, Work, Play, and Pray with Dr. Valerie Purdie-Vaughns
W.E.B. Du Bois used the term “double consciousness” to describe how societal structures shaped the ways in which African Americans viewed themselves, others, and their relations with American institutions. This talk will use the tools of psychology and neurobiology to show how “double consciousness” is experienced by many groups in American society, with implications for health and cognitive performance. Discussion includes recent findings in brain science that can be used by individuals to reduce stress and improve performance, and that could help bridge racial and gender disparities in the population. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard.

December 8
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Café Columbia
Breaking the Line: Black College Football and the Civil Rights Struggle
Come hear award-winning columnist, book author, and journalism professor Samuel Freedman discuss how student-athletes at historically black colleges and universities like Grambling and Florida A&M used the leverage of football to help crack segregation’s stranglehold – both on the gridiron and well beyond. Columbia Alumni Center.

Highlighted above are general interest campus or NYC events across a range of topics of possible interest to alumni, donors, and prospects.  This listing is highly selective by design – regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability and other details, follow the links.

As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events! Best, Jerry

From visual art to equine therapy, fighting corruption to re-engineering healthcare, a Columbia week for every interest…

November 14 (busy Friday!)
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Columbia Law School | Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity
Corruption in the 21st Century
This day-long conference brings together leaders on the front lines of the fight against corruption. Panels will address such emerging topics as how to enlist new technologies to enhance integrity and methods for understanding corruption in an increasingly globalized world. Includes former U.S. Attorneys Michael Garcia and Patrick Fitzgerald, who made the exposure and prosecution of public corruption their signature initiatives, as well as New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., NYC Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters, and officials from the FBI and the Department of Justice, among others. Jerome L. Greene Hall, Room 103.

2 p.m.
Engineering 150
Columbia’s Engineering Renaissance: Foundation for the Future
In this sesquicentennial celebration of the School’s past and future, faculty will address 15 topics in TED-style talks highlighting research “then” and “now.” For more program information, see the full story on the Engineering website. Roone Arledge Auditorium, Alfred Lerner Hall. A dessert reception will follow from 4-5 p.m. in the Lerner lobby. (Reminder)

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
New York State Psychiatric Institute
Riding My Way Back, A Story About a Veteran, a Horse, and Hope
Screening of a new documentary by Academy Award nominee Robin Fryday and Peter Rosenbaum chronicling one soldier’s journey back from the brink of suicide after multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Discussion of the film and equine therapy follows, with NYSPI experts Drs. Prudence Fisher, Yuval Neria and David Shaffer, as well as Aaron Heliker, Sgt. U.S. Air Force, Ret., Mindy Fisher, certified PATH therapeutic riding instructor, and Peter Rosenbaum, co-director. For more on the film, visit Riding My Way Back. Miller Theatre, no RSVP required.

November 16
3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
School of the Arts
Columbia Harlem Art Sunday
MFA visual artists open their studios to the public. The studios are in Prentis Hallat 632 West 125th between Broadway and Riverside Drive. The day also invites visitors to view the Romare Bearden exhibition at the Wallach Gallery, the Neiman Gallery, and Studio Museum of Harlem.

November 20
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Center for Jazz Studies
Acting Homer: A Staged Reading of the Odyssey
Part of this fall’s Romare Bearden-related events known as “Columbia Explores A Black Odyssey,” “Acting Homer” features prominent actors readings key passages from the Odyssey. With Devyn Tyler ’13CC, Ty Jones, Richard Habersham, and Sean Patrick Thomas. Earl Hall Auditorium.

November 21
8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Columbia Business School | Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program and the Healthcare Industry Association (HCIA)
Columbia Business School 11th Annual Healthcare Conference: Using Data and Technology to Innovate, Value, and Reengineer Healthcare
This event attracts more than 500 professionals and students. More than 30 prominent speakers and panelists cover a broad array of subjects, including biopharmaceuticals, medical technologies, payers, providers, HCIT, venture capital/private equity, M&A/financing, and healthcare entrepreneurship. The conference offers networking opportunities throughout the day, including a lunchtime career fair with healthcare employers and a closing reception. New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway.

Highlighted above are general interest campus or NYC events across a range of topics of possible interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. This listing is highly selective by design – regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For ticket availability and other details, follow the links.

As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events! Best, Jerry

Retrospection, introspection, and a Nobelist to boot! Please remember to check links for RSVP information…

November 5
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Committee on Global Thought
Critics and Analytics: Presentation of the Past in the 9/11 Museum
This widely interdisciplinary program, moderated by historian Carol Gluck, includes Jeffrey Alexander, sociologist, author of Narrating Trauma; Charles Strozier, historian, psychoanalyst, author of Until the Fires Stop Burning; Thomas Lutz, author of Topography of Terror; Henry Rousso, historian of French public memory of World War II; Daphna Shohamy, cognitive neuroscientist on learning, memory, and the brain. 918 International Affairs Building.

5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Narrative Medicine Rounds
College of Physicians and Surgeons
Filmmaker Kathy Leichter discusses her  film about mental illness, suicide, and family in Here One Day:  Using Film to Reduce Stigma and Raise Awareness About Mental Illness and Suicide Hammer Health Sciences Library / Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library, Room 401.

November 7
12 p.m.
World Leaders Forum
Mo Yan and Chinese Literature
This World Leaders Forum program features an address by Mo Yan, Nobel Laureate in literature, 2012. Introduced by Provost John Coatsworth and moderated by Lydia Liu, Wun Tsun Tam Professor in the Humanities, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society. Rotunda, Low Memorial Library.

November 13
7 p.m.
School of the Arts
Richard Howard: A Retrospective Reading
On the occasion of the publication of his new collection, A Progressive Education, Howard, the Pulitzer Prize winning poet and longtime Columbia writing professor, will be reading from his body of work, including poems from his new book about the ideal class of endlessly curious and delightfully observant progressive school sixth graders. The Italian Academy. 1161 Amsterdam Ave (between 116th and 118th Streets).

November 14
2 p.m.
Columbia Engineering
Columbia’s Engineering Renaissance: Foundation for the Future
Marking the School’s sesquicentennial, faculty will address 15 topics in TED-style talks highlighting research “then” and “now.” Includes Venkat Venkatasubramanian on Elmer Gaden in Global Health: Mass Production of Antibiotics (then) and Jingyue Ju, Rubin-Viele on Precision Medicine: Pioneering Genome Technology (now); Upmanu Lall on Herbert Kellog’s championing of environmentally cognizant mining (then), and Ah-Hyung (Alissa) Park on carbon sequestration (now); Patricia Culligan will describe Charles Chandler’s 19th century translational innovation in making New York more livable (think indoor plumbing and vaccination) while Sam Sia highlights global health now, including diagnostic systems to detect HIV in low-resource settings in Precision Medicine: Universally Accessible Diagnostics. Roone Arledge Auditorium, Alfred Lerner Hall. A dessert reception will follow from 4-5 p.m. in the Lerner lobby.

November 20
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Columbia Spectator and University Archives
Celebrating the Columbia Spectator’s History
A presentation and reception to celebrate the recent launch of the Columbia Spectator Archive, an online archive of the second-oldest college daily paper in the country. When completed, the archive will include the complete run of the newspaper from 1877 through 2012. Room 522/523 Butler Library.

Highlighted above are general interest campus events across a range of topics of possible interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. This listing is highly selective by design – regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For ticket availability and other details, follow the links.

As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events! Best, Jerry

A week for saving lives and changing lives!

October 27
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Earth Institute
The Ebola Crisis: What it Means for Africa and the World
Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs and Irwin Redlener, MD (P&S, Mailman), director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, host an array of thought leaders addressing the crisis. Topics include “Covering an Epidemic: What We’re Learning from Ebola and What Journalists Need to Know,” “Ebola Fundamentals: What are the Major Challenges?” and “Is Science Keeping Up with the Demands of Ebola and Challenges to Come?” Featuring Richard Besser, MD, ABC News chief medical editor and former acting director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Ranu Dhillon, MD, senior health advisor, Earth Institute and adjunct assistant professor, SIPA; Anne Liu, MPH, program manager, health systems development, Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development, Earth Institute; Robert Kanter, MD, adjunct senior research scientist; professor of pediatrics, pediatric critical care medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine; Robert Klitzman, MD, professor of psychiatry; director, Masters of Bioethics Program; director, Ethics, Policy and Human Rights Core, HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies; Stephen Morse, PhD, director, Infectious Disease Epidemiology Certificate Program, professor of epidemiology, CUMC; and Jay Varma, MD, deputy commissioner for disease control, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and former medical epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Faculty House Presidential Ballroom. Livestream available.

October 27
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Columbia Global Centers
India Beyond Technology and Yoga: The Power of Literature in a Globalizing World
Miller Theatre. Livestream available. (Reminder)

October 29 – GIVING DAY!
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
CUMC Healthcare Forum
Achieving Global Health Equity: Strategies, Challenges, and Champions
Faculty from the four CUMC schools look at the issue from a variety of angles. Featuring David A. Albert, DDS, MPH (College of Dental Medicine, Mailman School of Public Health); Jennifer Dohrn, DNP, CNM (Nursing), Margaret Kruk, MD (Mailman), and Stephen Nicholas, MD (College of Physicians and Surgeons). Moderated by Randi Hutter Epstein, MD, MPH (Journalism School), and introduced by Elaine L. Larson, PhD, RN, FAAN, CIC (Nursing, Mailman).

October 30
6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Columbia Entrepreneurship and SIPA
Innovations in Global Entrepreneurship: Cities, Not Countries, Take The Lead
Introduced by SIPA Dean Merit E. Janow. 222 Broadway, 22nd Floor. (Reminder)

Jerry’s Picks will usually come on Mondays. This is a special edition to get out word on the Ebola event. Highlighted above are general interest campus events across a range of topics of possible interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. This listing is highly selective by design – regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For ticket availability and other details, follow the links.

As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events! Best, Jerry

We are aging, disarming, jogging – just another Columbia fortnight!

Highlighted below are general interest campus events across a range of topics of possible interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. This listing is highly selective by design – regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links.

October 22
4 p.m.
Mailman School of Public Health
The New Age of Aging: Are Longer Lives a Good Thing?
In the last century, average lifespans have increased by 30 years. In many countries people commonly live till 80, 90, and even 100. By 2030, almost 20 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 and over. Are we ready for this severe demographic shift? Join Mailman Dean Linda P. Fried and Alliance for Aging Research Founder Dan Perry in a thought-provoking discussion moderated by documentary filmmaker Perri Peltz ’84MPH. Alumni Auditorium, Black Building, 650 West 168th Street.

October 23 – Two Blix Picks!
12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.
Law School Center on Global Governance
The Development of the United Nations Security System, with Dr. Hans Blix, who has served as foreign minister of Sweden, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and chief United Nations weapons inspector. Jerome Greene Hall, Room 102 B.

3 p.m.
World Leaders Forum
Dr. Hans Blix: Non-Use of Armed Force in State Relations – an Evolving Norm
Followed by a question and answer session. Introduction by Richard Gardner, Henry L. Moses Professor Emeritus of Law and International Organization, School of Law, Columbia University in the City of New York. Teatro, Italian Academy, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue.

October 24
8:30 a.m.
Athletics and Office of Alumni and Development
President Bollinger’s Thirteenth Annual Fun Run 5K Run/Walk
Join President Bollinger for a five kilometer run/walk through Riverside Park. The Fun Run started in 2002 as part of President Bollinger’s Inauguration festivities. It will begin on College Walk and proceed through Riverside Park, ending at the promenade overlook at 116th Street. Click here to view the map online. Online registration is required and is currently open. To register, click here.

October 27
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Columbia Global Centers
India Beyond Technology and Yoga: The power of literature in a globalizing world
A conversation about the impact and agency of Indian literature in a global world featuring Vikas Swarup whose book Slumdog Millionaire (originally titled Q&A) has been translated into 42 languages and whose big screen adaptation grossed $375 million at the box office; Indian feminist publisher and author of The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India, Urvashi Butalia; author of From the Ruins of Empire and public intellectual Pankaj Mishra, who the Economist says is the heir to Edward Said; and Suketu Mehta, whose Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize. Miller Theatre Moderator: Vishakha Desai, special advisor for global affairs to the President of Columbia. Miller Theatre. (Reminder)

October 30
6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Columbia Entrepreneurship and SIPA
Innovations in Global Entrepreneurship: Cities, Not Countries, Take The Lead
The contention to be explored in this conversation is that a select few major municipalities around the world – and not national governments – are the real drivers of innovation in startup ecosystems and in job creation through fostering entrepreneurship. Moderator Fernando Fabre and the panelists are all driving global innovations in entrepreneurship in their own way but their approach is to focus on cities. With Fernando Fabre, president, Endeavor Global; Brad Hardgraves, co-founder, General Assembly; Miguel McKelvey, co-founder, WeWork; and Katherine Oliver, principal, Bloomberg Associates and former commissioner, Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Introduced by SIPA Dean Merit E. Janow 222 Broadway, 22nd Floor. (Reminder)

As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events! Best, Jerry