Megan Tackney, an incoming SIPA student, contacted us recently and asked if the following could be posted. If you are an incoming student living in the greater D.C. area this is a great chance to start getting to know your classmates.
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A few of us in DC are going to be getting together for happy hour for incoming SIPA students this Tuesday, June 22 at 6 PM, or whenever people can get there, at Local 16. The address is 1602 U St NW, and we’ll meet at the rooftop bar.
It is true that those who study at SIPA become part of an extensive network of SIPA alumni, but it is also true that graduates of SIPA are also tied to the larger Columbia University Alumni network. Columbia University is comprised of seventeen schools and graduates of each are connected to the larger whole.
There are over 275,000 living alumni of Columbia University in the world and over 16,000 of those are graduates of SIPA. Those who have see The Hurt Locker or took in the recent Academy Awards ceremony might not have known that the winner in the Best Director category is an alumna of the Columbia University School of the Arts.
Columbia alumna becomes first ever woman to receive an Oscar for best directing
Kathryn Bigelow (SoA’81) became the first woman to receive a Best Director Oscar, for her film The Hurt Locker. She was only one of four total women nominated in this category over the award’s 81 years of history. The film, which she produced, also received an Oscar for Best Picture, as well as Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing.
You can read a full profile of Kathryn Bigelow at the website of Columbia magazine:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/alumni/Magazine/Winter2009-10/feature1.html
Image Credit to Summit Entertainment
Close to 50% of the students who enroll at SIPA each year are international students (not U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents). For some international students the transition to New York City can be a challenging one. To help incoming international students make the adjustment to life in New York City the Columbia University International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) provides support and assistance.
One of the things that ISSO does prior to school starting is to host a series of events on campus and around the city to help make the transition to graduate study a smooth one. There is an orientation for all new international graduate students across the university as well as a series of city tours, events, and dinners to help familiarize new students with the city and to start to develop a network of support.
To explore the events the ISSO is providing this year, please feel free to visit the ISSO activities page.
Before the conclusion of the spring semester we asked some current SIPA students the following question: What is your number one tip for an incoming student? Click here to view a 57 second video that features answers from four of our students.
"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."
—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs
