• Groundbreaking Columbia is building its first new-construction building. In January 2009, it will break new ground in more ways than one. more...
• Broken Mountains Topless America enlists filmmaking skills to raise awareness of the devastating practice of mountaintop removal. more...
• Portfolio: Are We There Yet? Images from the recent exhibition "Are We There Yet?" curated by Dawoud Bey, which examined the ways in which a shifting sense of place is visualized through various visual and conceptual strategies. more...
• Spot On: Shred America “When the walkway ended, we stopped into a convenience store and said, ‘Hey, which way to Indiana?’” more...
• Spot On: Jenny Brown Eight years ago, Jenny Brown (B.A. ’93) found herself in Texas, driving from stockyard to stockyard in a rented truck shooting undercover video of “downed” animals—cattle that are too ill and weak to walk onto the trucks for slaughter. “That was the week that changed my life,” she says. more...
• Spot On: Rashid Johnson "I was very proud when Barack got the nomination, but I wasn't proud for black people—I was kind of proud for white people.” more...
• Spot On: Dan Sinker “It ended up that the things we shared—a belief in the power of journalism and of storytelling, a strong sense of shared values and outrage, and a critical eye—far outweighed the things we didn't.” more...
• Backstory: 1986 In 1986, President Ferdinand Marcos fled the Philippines The Chernobyl nuclear disaster alarmed the world The space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all seven aboard The Bears beat the Patriots 46 to 10 in the Super Bowl The Fox television... more...
• Dear Alumni, We did it! It is my great pleasure to let you know that we surpassed our goal for alumni giving in fiscal year 2008, raising more than $116,000 to support scholarships and programs. This is a milestone—it’s significantly higher than... more...
• Fake Fictions / Krakatoa Comptroller Records, 2008. thefakefictions.com Columbia connection: Drummer Ben Bilow works in Columbia’s Office of Creative & Printing Services. The sound: Rock/Pop   The word: It doesn’t get any simpler: distorted guitars with power-chord chug, punk beats heavy on the snare,... more...
• Honest Engines / Don’t Talk Of California Unsigned, 2008. myspace.com/honestenginesmusic Columbia connection: Singer/songwriter Steve Mulcahey has attended Columbia since 2001 and is currently working toward a degree in marketing. He works in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Bassist Ben Sutter studied jazz performance at Columbia from... more...
• Bob Blinn / Demo Ocean Street Music, 2008. cdbaby.com/cd/bobblinn Columbia connection: Bob Blinn earned a B.A. in film & video from Columbia, and now works in the Advising Center. The sound: Folk   The word: Bob Blinn is best known for his songs sung... more...
• The Matt Young Group / Diggin’ In Independent, 2007. themattyounggroup.com Columbia Connection: Matt Young (bandleader, bassist, and composer) graduated in 2007 with a B.A. in music (instrumental jazz). Sarah Ferguson (vocals) is a senior majoring in vocal performance. Rob Denty (tenor sax) is a member of... more...
• The Hump Night Thumpers / Hare of the Jug Arlo Leach, 2007. humpnightthumpers.com Columbia Connection: Susan "Sue Kazoo" Babyk earned an M.F.A. in fiction writing from Columbia, and teaches in the film and video department. The Sound: Jug The Word: The Hump Night Thumpers are a revolving group... more...
• The Screwed-Up Life of Charlie the Second more...
• Marilyn Sward, Center for Book & Paper Arts Founding Director, Dies Marilyn Sward, the founding director of Columbia’s Center for Book and Paper Arts, died August 5 after a battle with cancer. She was 67. Sward, who earned her master’s degree in interdisciplinary arts, helped launch an art program in... more...
• Student Designs Hit the Runway in Dress Code Since Fashion Focus Chicago began four years ago, Columbia’s fashion design and fashion retail management students and faculty have been key players in this celebration of Chicago’s thriving fashion industry. Throughout the first week in October, some of the... more...
• I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone more...
• The Banquet Bug more...
• Alumni Win Emmy Awards Columbia was well represented at the 2008 Emmy Awards, which were announced at a pair of September ceremonies at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Alumni winners included Len Amato (B.A. ’75), executive producer, Recount (HBO), Outstanding Made for... more...
• Enrollment Continues to Set Records Enrollment figures for fall 2008 show a continuation in the college’s trend of annual growth. Columbia’s population rose 3.7 percent over last fall, with a record 12,464 students enrolled for fall. Undergraduate enrollment increased 4.3 percent, and new freshman spiked... more...
• Fundraising Tops $12.7 Million, Alumni Donations Up Charitable contributions to Columbia made during fiscal year 2008, which ended August 31, reflected a substantial increase in giving by alumni of the college, as well as increased giving by parents and foundations. The trend in markedly increased giving demonstrates... more...
• Museum of Contemporary Photography Receives Warhol Collection Photography has received a significant donation of photographs taken by Andy Warhol in the late 1970s and early ’80s. The donation, comprising about 150 Polaroid and black-and-white prints, was donated by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Most... more...
• College Considers Creating Honors Program In response to feedback from students who have expressed interest in a more challenging curriculum, the administration at Columbia is exploring the creation of an honors program. As reported in the September 22 Columbia Chronicle, Steve Kapelke, provost and senor... more...
• Board Extends Carter's Contract Through 2012 Columbia’s board of trustees has unanimously approved the extension of President Warrick L. Carter’s contract through August 2012. Carter, 66, has been president of the college since summer 2000. Carter’s original four-year contract was unanimously renewed in 2003, with a... more...
• Vision: A Question for the President Letter from Warrick L. Carter, Ph.D., President, Columbia College Chicago more...