Columbia College did not admit women students until 1983 for its first coeducational class, the Class of 1987. But that did not mean that there were no women undergraduate students at Columbia. Both the School of Engineering and General Studies were already co-ed. And in the 1970s, three women engineering students were claiming firsts and […]
Tag: Columbia University
Columbia’s “Fair Doctors”
In April 1887 Columbia celebrated the Centennial of the 1787 Charter, the charter that is in effect to this day. At the grand Convocation, there were speeches, a special poem for the day, and the conferring of 60 honorary degrees. The newspapers the next day focused on Columbia’s “fair doctors” because Columbia was one of […]
John Jay: #DormLife in 1764
John Jay would probably be amused if he knew that many, many years in the future, his old Alma Mater—then King’s College, now Columbia—would honor his legacy by naming a dormitory after him. It was a dorm room incident in the original College Hall in 1764 that earned him a suspension from the College and […]
Every Day Is Valentine’s Day at Kent Hall
Stand in front of Kent Hall and take in the classical design by McKim, Mead and White. Now, take a look above the second story windows. Among the recurring decorative elements, you will find engraved putti or little, chubby cherubs holding garlands and flowers. That’s right: there are “cupids” in front of Kent Hall, the […]
Sylvia’s In Morningside Heights?!
Long before pop-ups became a thing, the Columbia Dining Services’ Guest Chef Program brought the Harlem landmark restaurant Sylvia’s to the John Jay Hall dining room. On February 4, 1997, students not only got to sample the restaurant’s classic dishes, but they were also treated to a performance by the jazz band Funky Bud, featuring […]