Gratitude and an Update from President Armstrong to Alumni

Since I last wrote to you, I have been fortunate to meet and hear from many Columbia alumni, and I am grateful for your insights and feedback.

At the recent alumni leaders luncheon and a reception in Los Angeles, I was able to share my priorities and connect with many of you directly. I have also had opportunities to speak with alumni at smaller school-based events and meetings. It has been an honor to hear about the Columbia you cherish, as well as your hopes and ideas for strengthening the University, inspiring students, and making a positive impact on the world.

My conversations over the past few months with our students have proved invaluable. Whether celebrating with them at Homecoming or having impromptu conversations as I walk around campus, there is no substitute for hearing directly from our students. I have come to appreciate that there are as many answers to the question, what does Columbia mean to you?, as there are Columbia students. Nevertheless, a common bond uniting our students is the seriousness with which they approach their education and their thoughtfulness in building their futures.

Earlier this month, I had the special pleasure of celebrating Veterans Day with many of the nearly 600 veterans who attend Columbia. The annual Columbia Military Ball was a joyous occasion and an apt tribute to our student veterans’ service and sacrifice, one of the many ways we honored our Columbia veteran community throughout the last weeks. I am very happy to be able to share that the School of General Studies has established a Veterans Excellence Support Fund. The new fund supports student veterans by facilitating internships, academic fellowships, and positive career outcomes—another expression of our commitment to a cohort of Columbia student veterans that is the largest in the Ivy League.

This is also a time to revel in our athletes’ success. Over the course of 24 hours this past weekend, we saw two truly historic achievements. On Saturday, the Columbia Lions won an Ivy League Football Championship for the first time in 63 years, beating Cornell 17-9 and gaining a share of the league title along with Harvard and Dartmouth. And on Sunday afternoon, three-time All American Michael Zheng won the NCAA men’s tennis championship, becoming the first Ivy League men’s champion in over a century. Please join me in congratulating our tight-knit football team, their head coach Jon Poppe, Michael, and men’s tennis coach Howard Endelman.

In closing, I want you to please know that your thoughts about the University and your aspirations for the Columbia students who have followed you guide us as we work to ensure that Columbia continues to offer the enriching experience you enjoyed. In this season of gratitude and thanksgiving, I want to thank all of you for your dedication to the idea of Columbia–what it is and what it can be–and your participation in making it a reality. Thank you for your ongoing interest, engagement, and leadership.

All my best,

Katrina Armstrong
Interim President, Columbia University in the City of New York