2020 was a year like no other. It started normally enough, but on March 16, 2020, Columbia University closed its physical facilities as part of the New York State-mandated PAUSE that sought to control the spread of COVID. For months, staff were permitted onsite only for essential security and maintenance checks. As restrictions loosened over […]
Tag: University Archives
Is that the President on campus? From Columbia to the White House
A surprising number of future U.S. Presidents have visited Columbia on their way to the White House. From both Roosevelts to our current President-elect Joe Biden, Columbia has been honored to have these politicians on campus throughout the years. […]
2020: A Year Unlike Any Other
As we come to the end of what has been a topsy-turvy year, we wanted to take a moment to look back on how the University Archives (UA) responded to the various challenges that came our way and what we’ve managed to accomplish since the library closed and New York went on pause in March. […]
“’Twas the Night Before Christmas” and Columbia
Did you know that in 1822 Clement Clark Moore, Columbia College Class of 1798 and a most loyal Columbian, created the iconic Santa Claus with a beard “as white as the snow,” “a little round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly” and a bundle of toys “flung on his […]
Home Study: Columbia’s Long-Distance Experiment
In the 1800s Columbia preferred that its students live at home. And the first women students in the 1880s also had to stay at home since they could not attend lectures. But a 1919 initiative enabled Columbia to offer new educational opportunities to students at home all over the world. […]