View source for Columbia College, Columbia University

{{Short description|Oldest undergraduate college of Columbia University}}
{{About|text=For the university, see [[Columbia University]]. For the no-relation liberal arts college in New York, see [[King's College (New York City)|King's College]]}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = Columbia College
 | image                  = Columbia_College_of_Columbia_University_Crown_2020.svg
 | caption                = 
 | endowment              = 
 | city                   = [[New York City]]
 | state                  = [[New York (state)|New York]]
 | country                = United States
 | established            = {{start date and age|1754}}
 | type                   = Private
 | faculty                = 
 | parent                 = [[Columbia University]]
 | website                = {{ofurl}}
 | dean                   = [[Josef Sorett]]
 | students               = 4,500<ref name="students count">{{cite web |title=How many students attend Columbia? |url=https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/ask/faq/question/2512 |website=Columbia Undergraduate Admissions |publisher=Columbia University |access-date=4 December 2020 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184742/https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/ask/faq/question/2512 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}
'''Columbia College''' is the oldest [[Undergraduate education#United States system|undergraduate college]] of [[Columbia University]], a [[Private university|private]] [[Ivy League]] [[research university]] in [[New York City]]. Established in 1754 as '''King's College''' on the grounds of [[Trinity Church (Manhattan)|Trinity Church]] in Manhattan, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of [[New York (state)|New York]] and the fifth oldest in the United States.

Columbia was established as a [[Colonial colleges|colonial college]] by [[royal charter]] under [[George II of Great Britain]]. It was renamed [[Columbia College (New York)|Columbia College]] in 1784 following the [[American Revolution]], and in 1787 was placed under [[Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York|a private board of trustees]] headed by alumni [[Alexander Hamilton]] and [[John Jay]].

Columbia College is distinctive for its comprehensive [[Core Curriculum (Columbia College)|Core Curriculum]] and is among the most selective of American colleges, with an admission rate of 3.85% in 2024.

== History ==
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2023}}
{{main|History of Columbia University}}
[[File:Kings_College_Charter.jpg|thumb|First skin of the Charter of King's College, 1754]]
Columbia College was founded as King's College in 1754 in the [[Province of New York]] by royal charter from [[George II of Great Britain|King George II]] of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]].  Owing in part to the influence of the [[Church of England]], a site was chosen for the new college within the churchyard of [[Trinity Church, New York|Trinity Church]] on Broadway opposite [[Wall Street]] in New York City. The college remained at this site for less than a decade.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of Columbia College |url=https://www.college.columbia.edu/about/history |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=Columbia College |language=en}}</ref>

The college chose [[Samuel Johnson (1696-1772)|Samuel Johnson]] to be its first president. He was also the college's first (and for a time only) professor.  During this period, classes and examinations, both oral and written, were conducted entirely in [[Latin]].

=== Park Place Campus ===
By 1760, Columbia had relocated from the Trinity Church site to one along Park Place, near the [[City Hall Park|city commons]] and today's [[New York City Hall]].

In 1767, [[Samuel Bard (physician)|Samuel Bard]] established a medical college at the school, now known as the [[Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons]], which was the first medical school to grant the [[Doctor of Medicine]] (M.D.) degree in America.

Due to the [[American Revolutionary War]], instruction was suspended from 1776 until 1784, but by the beginning of the war, the college had already educated some of the nation's foremost political leaders, such as [[Alexander Hamilton]], who served as military aide to General [[George Washington]], initiated and authored most of ''[[The Federalist Papers]]'', and served as the first [[Secretary of the Treasury]]; [[John Jay]], author of several of the ''Federalist Papers'' and the first [[Chief Justice of the United States]]; [[Robert Livingston (1746–1813)|Robert Livingston]], one of the [[Committee of Five]] who drafted the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]; and [[Gouverneur Morris]], one of the Committee of Detail who finished the last draft of the [[United States Constitution]].

Hamilton's first experience with the military came while a student during the summer of 1775, after the outbreak of fighting at [[Boston]]. Along with [[Nicholas Fish]], [[Robert Troup]], and a group of other students from King's College, he joined a volunteer militia company called the "[[Hearts of Oak (New York militia)|Hearts of Oak]]" and achieved the rank of Lieutenant. They adopted distinctive uniforms, complete with the words "Liberty or Death" on their hatbands, and drilled under the watchful eye of a former British officer in the graveyard of the nearby [[St. Paul's Chapel]]. In August 1775, while under fire from [[HMS Asia (1764)|HMS ''Asia'']], the Hearts of Oak (the "Corsicans") participated in a successful raid to seize cannon from [[Battery Park|the Battery]], becoming an artillery unit thereafter. Ironically, in 1776 Captain Hamilton would engage in the [[Battle of Harlem Heights]], which took place on and around the site that would later become home to his alma mater more than a century later, only to be entombed after his dueling death some years later at the original home of King's College in Trinity Church yard.

[[Image:columbia1790.jpg|thumb|right|College Hall in 1790]]
With the successful [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1783, the domestic situation was stable enough for the college to resume classes in 1784. With the new nation's independence from the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]], the name of the institution was changed from King's College to Columbia College, the name by which the institution continues to be known today. The college was briefly chartered as a state institution, lasting only until 1787, when due to a lack of public financial support the school was permitted to incorporate under a [[Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York|private board of trustees]]. This 1787 charter remains in effect.  The renamed and reorganized college, located in the new national capital under the Constitution and free from its association with the Church of England, received students from a variety of denominations as a response to its growing reputation as one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the new nation.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}

=== Midtown Campus ===
Columbia was located at its Park Place campus near [[New York City Hall]] for nearly a century, from approximately 1760 to 1857, at which point the college moved to [[49th Street (Manhattan)|49th Street]] and [[Madison Avenue]] in [[Manhattan]].

During the college's forty years at this third location, in addition to granting the [[Bachelor of Arts]] and [[Doctor of Medicine]] degrees, the faculties of the college were expanded to include the [[Columbia Law School]] (founded 1858), the Columbia School of Mines (founded 1864, now known as the [[Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science]]). The Columbia School of Mines awarded the first Ph.D. from Columbia in 1875.

At this time, Columbia College was now not only the name of the original undergraduate college founded as King's College, but it also encompassed all of the other colleges and schools of the institution. (Though technically known as the "School of Arts", the undergraduate division was often called "The College ''proper''" to avoid confusion.) After [[Seth Low]] became president of Columbia College in 1890, he advocated the division of the individual schools and colleges into their own semi-autonomous entities under the central administration of the university. The complexity of managing the institution had been further increased when [[Barnard College|Barnard College for Women]] became affiliated with Columbia in 1889 followed by [[Teachers College, Columbia University|Teachers College of Columbia University]] in 1891. Also by this time, graduate faculties issuing the [[Doctor of Philosophy|Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree]] in philosophy, political science, and the natural sciences had also developed.

[[Image:Oldcolumbiasfield.jpg|thumb|right| [[Hamilton Hall (Columbia University)|Hamilton Hall]] (left), new home of Columbia College, and Hartley Hall, the college's first dormitory, in 1907]] Thus, in 1896, the trustees of Columbia College, under the guidance of Seth Low, approved a new name for the university as a whole, [[Columbia University|Columbia University in the City of New York]]. At this point, the name Columbia College returned to being used solely to refer to the original undergraduate college, founded as King's College in 1754 and renamed Columbia College in 1784.

=== Move to Morningside Heights ===
In addition to reclaiming the identity of Columbia College and making it the focus of the newly rearranged [[Columbia University]], Low was also responsible for the monumental relocation of the university to its current location atop a hill in [[Morningside Heights]] in uptown [[Manhattan]]. A tract for the campus was purchased, which extended from [[114th Street|114th St.]] to [[120th Street (Manhattan)|120th St.]] between [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] and [[Amsterdam Avenue (Manhattan)|Amsterdam Avenue]].

[[Charles Follen McKim|Charles McKim]] of [[McKim, Mead, and White]] was selected to design the new campus, which was to be patterned after the buildings of the [[Italian Renaissance]].  While most American universities at this point had followed more [[medieval]] and [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic]] styles of architecture, the [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] style of the new [[Columbia University]] campus was meant to reflect the institution's roots in the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] and the spirit of intellectual discovery of the period. Columbia College and [[university|Columbia University]] as a whole relocated to the new campus in 1897.

[[Image:vanamquad.JPEG|thumb|right|Van Amringe Quadrangle houses a memorial to [[John Howard Van Amringe]], who served as the college's first dean after the formation of Columbia University]]

The academic history of traditions of Columbia College clearly had their beginnings in the classical education of the Enlightenment, and in this mold, the college's famous [[Core Curriculum (Columbia College)|Core Curriculum]] was officially recognized and codified in 1919 with [[John Erskine (educator)|John Erskine's]] first seminar on the great books of the western tradition. Also in 1919, a course, War and Peace, was required of all Columbia College students in addition to the Great Books Honors Seminar.

During the 1960s, Columbia College, like many others across the United States, experienced unrest and turmoil due to the ongoing [[civil rights movement]] and opposition to the [[Vietnam War]]. On April 23, 1968, more than 1,000 students forcefully occupied five campus buildings in protest to the proposed expansion of the university's campus into [[Morningside Park (New York City)|Morningside Park]] and to protest the university's sponsorship of [[Classified information in the United States|classified]] military research. University officials wished to build new gymnasium facilities in the park, which, while located directly adjacent to the university, is separated by a steep cliff. Plans to create separate entrances for students and local residents was the primary objection of the student protesters to the proposed expansion plan. A fence at the site was torn down, and police arrested one student, whose release became one of the demands of the protest. After five days, the functions of the university were brought to a halt, and early on the morning of April 30 the students were forcibly removed by the [[New York City Police Department]]. As a result of the student protests, the university president [[Grayson L. Kirk]] retired, classified research projects on campus were abruptly ended, long-standing [[ROTC]] programs were expelled, and the proposed expansion plans were canceled. The university experienced financial difficulties<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F39SJn66jF0C&q=stand+columbia+book|title=Stand, Columbia : a History of Columbia University in the City of New York, 1754-2004|first=Robert A.|last=McCaughey|date=7 March 2018|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=9780231130080|via=Google Books}}</ref> throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, and admissions standards in the college slightly relaxed to hasten the diversification of the student body following the 1968 protests.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs19711005-01.2.7&srpos=14&e=------197-en-20--1--txt-IN-%22scholastic+aptitude%22----#|title=Columbia Daily Spectator 5 October 1971 — Columbia Spectator|website=Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu}}</ref> Paralleling a national trend after 1970, Columbia classes in the 1970s and 1980s, earned lower [[SAT]] scores than did Columbia students in the late 1960s. The scores were, however, similar to other [[Ivy League|Ivy schools]] except [[Harvard University|Harvard]], [[Yale University|Yale]], and [[Princeton University|Princeton]]—a position not acceptable to Columbia's ambitious administration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs19840829-01.2.2&srpos=18&e=------198-en-20--1--txt-IN-%22scholastic+aptitude%22----#|title=Columbia Daily Spectator 29 August 1984 — Columbia Spectator|website=Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://research.collegeboard.org/programs/sat/data/equivalence/sat-individual|title=SAT I Individual Score Equivalents – Research – The College Board|website=Research.collegeboard.org|access-date=2013-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140901044547/http://research.collegeboard.org/programs/sat/data/equivalence/sat-individual|archive-date=2014-09-01|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After two committees reported in 1980 and 1981 that the all-male college's competitiveness with other Ivy League universities was decreasing, women were admitted in 1983.<ref name="spec19830829">{{cite news |url=https://spec-archive.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs19830829-01.2.35&srpos=8&dliv=none&e=-------en-20--1--txt-IN-barnard+columbia+merge---- |title=The Road to Coeducation |work=Columbia Spectator |date=1983-08-29 |access-date=September 26, 2012 }}</ref> The median SAT score of the class of 1991 was the highest since the early 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs19870915-01.2.3&srpos=8&e=------198-en-20--1--txt-IN-%22scholastic+aptitude%22----|title=Columbia Daily Spectator 15 September 1987 — Columbia Spectator|website=Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu}}</ref> In the 1980s and 1990s, the college experienced a drastic increase in gifts and endowment growth, propelling it from the periphery to the forefront of a university historically dominated by its graduate & professional schools. During the leadership of university presidents [[Michael Sovern]] and [[George Erik Rupp]], many of Columbia College's facilities were extensively expanded and renovated. The number of residence halls was increased to accommodate all Columbia College students for all four years of the undergraduate education. [[Hamilton Hall (Columbia University)|Hamilton Hall]], the primary academic building of Columbia College, has undergone extensive renovations, and the college's athletic facilities, located at Baker Field Athletics Complex on [[Manhattan]]'s far northern tip at [[218th Street (Manhattan)|218th Street]], were renovated and expanded.

== Columbia College today ==
[[Image:Columbia University Bulletin Columbia College 1980 1981.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Columbia College bulletin]]

===Admissions===
Like other elite schools, Columbia has been attracting ever higher numbers of applicants, with a trend towards applicants applying to more than seven different institutions{{snd}}an increasingly "scattershot approach" when compared to applications in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Best, Brightest and Rejected: Elite Colleges Turn Away Up to 95% |first=Richard |last=Pérez-Peña |author-link=Richard Pérez-Peña |date=2014-04-08 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/us/led-by-stanfords-5-top-colleges-acceptance-rates-hit-new-lows.html |access-date=2024-04-06 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405173844/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/us/led-by-stanfords-5-top-colleges-acceptance-rates-hit-new-lows.html |archive-date=2024-04-05 |url-status=live}}</ref> Columbia College (including [[Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science|Columbia Engineering]]) has an admittance rate that places it among the most selective of American colleges.<ref>{{Cite news |title=10 Colleges With the Lowest Acceptance Rates |last=Friedman |first=Jordan |date=October 31, 2017 |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2017-10-31/10-colleges-with-the-lowest-acceptance-rates |access-date=November 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118223420/https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2017-10-31/10-colleges-with-the-lowest-acceptance-rates |archive-date=2017-11-18 |url-status=dead}}</ref> For the [[Academic term|fall term]] of 2010, there were 26,178 applicants for 2,397 placements in the Class of 2014, for an acceptance rate of {{Percentage|2397|26178|2}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=CC, SEAS '14 more selective than ever |first=Amber |last=Tunnell |date=2010-04-01 |work=[[Columbia Daily Spectator]] |url=https://www.columbiaspectator.com/2010/04/01/cc-seas-14-more-selective-ever/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523072701/https://www.columbiaspectator.com/2010/04/01/cc-seas-14-more-selective-ever/ |archive-date=2015-05-23 |url-status=live}}</ref> By the fall term of 2024, applications had more than doubled, with 60,248 applicants for 2,319 placements in the Class of 2028, for an acceptance rate of {{Percentage|2319|60248|2}}.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Columbia admits 2,319 students to class of 2028, acceptance rate drops slightly to 3.85 percent |first1=Grace |last1=Hamilton |first2=Cameron |last2=Spurr |first3=Diya |last3=(graphic by) Nair |date=2024-03-28 |work=[[Columbia Daily Spectator]] |url=https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/03/28/columbia-admits-2319-students-to-class-of-2028-acceptance-rate-drops-slightly-to-385-percent/ |access-date=2024-04-06}}</ref>

=== Academics ===
Columbia College has long been known for its rigorous [[Core Curriculum (Columbia College)|Core Curriculum]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bisesi|first=Michael|date=1982|title=Historical Developments in American Undergraduate Education: General Education and the Core Curriculum|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/3121552|journal=British Journal of Educational Studies|volume=30|issue=2|pages=199–212|doi=10.2307/3121552|jstor=3121552|issn=0007-1005|url-access=subscription}}</ref> a series of mandatory classes and [[distribution requirements]] that form the heart of Columbia College students' academic experience.

Students are also required to pass a swimming test before receiving their diploma. The foreign language requirement, however, may be skipped if the student passes a placement exam or demonstrates requisite proficiency.  Most students graduate within four years with a Bachelor of Arts [[academic degree|degree]].

=== Campus ===
[[File:Hamilton statue at Columbia University IMG 0958.JPG|thumb|right|[[Hamilton Hall (Columbia University)|Hamilton Hall]], home of the college, on the campus of [[Columbia University]]]]

Most of the college's facilities are located on Columbia University's [[Morningside Heights]] campus, especially in [[Hamilton Hall (Columbia University)|Hamilton Hall]], which houses its administrative and admissions offices, as well as the directors of the Core Curriculum.

[[Butler Library]], Columbia University's main library, is home to more than 2 million volumes of the university's humanities collection.  The facility recently underwent an extensive four-year renovation, including the creation of a new wing, named [[Philip L. Milstein]] Family College Library in honor of its donor. Included is a specialized collection of approximately 100,000 volumes containing subject matter in history, literature, philosophy, and the social sciences specifically intended to complement the Columbia College curriculum. The collection of the [[Columbia University Library System|Columbia University Libraries]] consists of more than 9.2 million volumes held in 25 specialized libraries as well as a digital library, however Columbia College students do not have unlimited access to all specialized libraries.

Students at Columbia College are guaranteed campus housing for four years. Residence halls, which also house undergraduate students of Columbia's [[Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science|engineering school]], are either located on the Morningside Heights main campus or within 10 blocks of the 116th Street entrance. First-year students are housed on the main quad in [[John Jay Hall|John Jay]], [[Carman Hall|Carman]], [[Wallach Hall|Wallach]], [[Hartley Hall|Hartley]] and [[Furnald Hall]]s.

The two main dining facilities are John Jay Dining Hall and Ferris Booth Commons; all freshmen are required to have a full meal plan.  Other school dining facilities available on the Morningside Heights campus are located in the recently remodeled student center, [[Alfred Lerner Hall]], Faculty House,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dining.columbia.edu/content/faculty-house | title=Faculty House &#124; Columbia Dining }}</ref> and Uris Hall.

=== Governance ===

In 2011, after the resignation of [[Michele Moody-Adams]], James Valentini replaced her as [[Dean (education)|Dean]] of Columbia College. The students of Columbia College elect the Columbia College Student Council (CCSC) to serve as their primary representative, advocate, and liaison to the Columbia University community, including its administration, faculty, alumni and students, as well as to the public.

The college's board of visitors is an independent and self-governing advisory body composed of college alumni and parents. The board advocates for the interest of the college among the Columbia community, New York city and beyond. It also provides advice to the dean in identifying and addressing both immediate challenges and short-and long-term opportunities for the college. Members of the board currently include [[ZhenFund]] CEO [[Anna Fang (investor)|Anna Fang]], [[JPMorgan Chase|JP Morgan Chase]] global head of research Joyce Chang, [[Virtu Financial]] CEO Doug Cifu, [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning producer [[Dede Gardner]], former NYC Commissioner for [[New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection|Consumer and Worker Protection]] [[Peter Hatch (government official)|Peter Hatch]], [[USRowing]] Chairman and president Nobuhisa Ishizuka, [[HEICO]] co-president Eric Mendelson, [[Sixth Street Partners]] co-founder Vijay Mohan, [[Warner Bros.]] General Counsel John Rogovin, [[Morgan Stanley]]'s global head of technology Robert Rooney, [[HNA Group]] CEO [[Tan Xiangdong]], former FTC Commissioner [[Mozelle W. Thompson]], [[Happy Family (food company)|Happy Family]] CEO [[Shazi Visram]], and hedge fund manager [[William von Mueffling]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Administration and Faculty of Columbia College < Columbia College {{!}} Columbia University |url=https://bulletin.columbia.edu/columbia-college/administration-faculty-columbia-college/#boardofvisitorstext |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=bulletin.columbia.edu}}</ref>

Former members of the board count among them [[PBS]] president [[Lawrence K. Grossman]], [[Thomson Reuters]] CEO [[Tom Glocer]], hedge fund manager [[Mark E. Kingdon]], [[Bain Capital]] co-managing partner [[Jonathan Lavine]], [[Univision]] CFO Frank Lopez-Balboa, airline investor [[Frank Lorenzo]], real estate developer [[Philip L. Milstein]], [[H.I.G. Capital]] founder Sami Mnaymneh, [[Kohlberg Kravis Roberts|KKR]] executive [[Alex Navab]], [[C-SPAN]] co-founder [[Robert Rosencrans]], [[Tishman Speyer]] CEO [[Rob Speyer]], healthcare entrepreneur [[Daniel E. Straus]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-05 |title=Board of Visitors |url=http://www.college.columbia.edu/annualreport/2018/givingback/volunteers/bov |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Columbia College Report |language=en}}</ref>

== List of Deans of Columbia College ==

# 1896–1910 [[John Howard Van Amringe]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deans of the College |url=https://www.college.columbia.edu/about/dean/alldeans |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Columbia College |language=en}}</ref>
# 1910–1917 [[Frederick Paul Keppel]]
# 1918–1943 [[Herbert Hawkes]]
# 1943–1950 [[Harry J. Carman]]
# 1950–1958 [[Lawrence Henry Chamberlain]]
# 1958–1962 [[John Gorham Palfrey (academic)|John Gorham Palfrey]]
# 1963–1967 [[David B. Truman]]
# 1967–1968 [[Henry S. Coleman]] (interim)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Columbia College Today |url=https://www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/mar_apr06/obituaries3.html |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=www.college.columbia.edu}}</ref>
# 1968–1972 [[Carl Hovde]]
# 1972–1976 [[Peter Pouncey]]
# 1976–1977 [[Robert L. Belknap]] (acting)
# 1977–1982 [[Arnold Collery]]
# 1982–1989 [[Robert Pollack (biologist)|Robert Pollack]]
# 1989–1993 [[Jack Greenberg]]
# 1993–1995 [[Steven Marcus]]
# 1995–2009 [[Austin Quigley]]
# 2009–2011 [[Michele Moody-Adams]]
# 2011–2022 James J. Valentini
# 2022–present [[Josef Sorett]]

== Noted people ==
{{Further|List of Columbia College people|List of John Jay Award recipients}}
Many eminent individuals have attended or taught at Columbia College or King's College, its predecessor.

Among those College alumni categorized as "remarkable" by the university during its 250th anniversary celebrations in 2004<ref>[http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/index_all.html Columbians Ahead of Their Time]. C250.columbia.edu. Retrieved on 2011-09-03.</ref> were [[Founding Fathers of the United States]] [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[John Jay]], and [[Gouverneur Morris]] (author of [[Preamble to the United States Constitution|Preamble]] to the [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]], "We, The People").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usinfo.state.gov/scv/Archive/2006/Apr/04-805076.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316095915/http://usinfo.state.gov/scv/Archive/2006/Apr/04-805076.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 March 2008|title=Meet the Author of U.S. Constitution's Preamble - US Department of State|date=16 March 2008|access-date=26 November 2018}}</ref> Other political figures in this group include statesman and educator [[Nicholas Murray Butler]], New York Governor [[DeWitt Clinton]], [[United States Secretary of State|U.S. Secretary of State]] [[Hamilton Fish]], South African anti-[[apartheid]] leader [[Pixley ka Isaka Seme]], Chinese diplomat [[Wellington Koo]], many New York City mayors, including [[Seth Low]] and [[John Purroy Mitchel]], as well as [[spymaster]] [[William Joseph Donovan]].

Academics listed include philosophers [[Mortimer Adler]] and [[Irwin Edman]], historians [[Jacques Barzun]] and [[Alfred Thayer Mahan]], economist [[Arthur Burns]], [[Paleontology|paleontologist]] [[Niles Eldredge]], drama scholar [[Brander Matthews]], art historian [[Meyer Schapiro]] and literary critic [[Lionel Trilling]].

Public intellectuals and journalists, including broadcaster [[Roone Arledge]], social critic [[Randolph Bourne]], environmentalist [[Barry Commoner]], and writers like [[Henry Demarest Lloyd]] and [[Norman Podhoretz]] are also prominent on the list. Major publishers included were [[Alfred A. Knopf Sr.|Alfred Knopf]], [[Arthur Hays Sulzberger|Arthur Sulzberger]], and [[Bennett Cerf]]. Rabbi [[Stephen Samuel Wise|Stephen Wise]] is also considered prominent.

Columbia College graduates recognized in the arts include pianist [[Emanuel Ax]], actor [[James Cagney]], musician [[Art Garfunkel]], composers [[Richard Rodgers]] and [[John Corigliano]], lyricists [[Oscar Hammerstein II]] and [[Lorenz Hart]], playwrights [[Samuel and Bella Spewack|Samuel Spewack]], [[Tony Kushner]] and [[Terrence McNally]], writers [[Jack Kerouac]], [[Allen Ginsberg]], [[Herman Wouk]], [[John Berryman]], [[Thomas Merton]], [[Clement Clarke Moore]], [[Ben Coes]], and [[Clifton Fadiman]], screenwriter [[Herman Mankiewicz]], filmmaker [[Joseph Mankiewicz]], sculptor [[Isamu Noguchi]], and violinist [[Gil Shaham]].

Architects [[James Renwick Jr.]], [[Robert A.M. Stern]], engineer [[William Barclay Parsons]], baseball player [[Lou Gehrig]], football player [[Sid Luckman]], and business leader [[John Kluge]] were also Columbia College students.

Additionally, highly visible former Columbia College students in recent years include former President [[Barack Obama]], former [[United States Attorney General]] [[William Barr]], and former [[Attorney general|Attorneys General]] [[Michael Mukasey]] and [[Eric Holder]], New York Governor [[David Paterson]], New Hampshire Senator [[Judd Gregg]], former New Jersey Governor [[Jim McGreevey]], Los Angeles Mayor [[Eric Garcetti]], Texas Congressman [[Beto O'Rourke]], New York Congressman [[Jerry Nadler]], Estonian president [[Toomas Hendrik Ilves]], political advisor and commentator [[George Stephanopoulos]], actors [[Maggie Gyllenhaal]], [[Jake Gyllenhaal]], [[Anna Paquin]], [[Casey Affleck]], [[Amanda Peet]], [[Matthew Fox (actor)|Matthew Fox]], [[Timothée Chalamet]], [[George Segal]], [[Julia Stiles]], [[Cinta Laura]], and [[Kate McKinnon]], radio personality [[Max Kellerman]], directors [[Jim Jarmusch]], [[Brian De Palma]] and [[Bill Condon]], television showrunners [[Jenji Kohan]] and [[Beau Willimon]], writer [[Paul Auster]], historian [[Eric Foner]], and the chart-topping [[Alternative rock|alt-rock]] band [[Vampire Weekend]].

Among its graduates and attendees, Columbia College can count at least 16 [[Nobel Prize]] winners, 8 [[Emmy Award]] winners, 8 [[Tony Award]] winners, over 20 [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] winners, and 40 [[Pulitzer Prize]] winners.<ref>[http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/nobel_laureates/by_year.html Columbia University Nobel Laureates]. C250.columbia.edu. Retrieved on 2011-09-03.</ref><gallery class="center" widths="160" heights="160" caption="Notable Columbia College alumni include:">
File:Alexander Hamilton portrait by John Trumbull 1806.jpg|[[Alexander Hamilton]]: [[Founding Father of the United States]]; author of ''[[The Federalist Papers]]''; 1st [[United States Secretary of the Treasury]]
File:John Jay (Gilbert Stuart portrait).jpg|[[John Jay]]: Founding Father of the United States; author of ''The Federalist Papers''; 1st [[Chief Justice of the United States]]; 2nd [[Governor of New York]]
File:Gouverneur Morris.jpg|[[Gouverneur Morris]]: Founding Father of the United States; author of the [[United States Constitution]]; [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] from [[List of United States Senators from New York|New York]]
File:Robert R Livingston by Gilbert Stuart.jpeg|[[Robert R. Livingston (chancellor)|Robert R. Livingston]], [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father of the United States]], member of the [[Committee of Five]], and the first [[United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs]], negotiator of the [[Louisiana Purchase]]
File:Hamilton Fish Brady Edited.jpg|[[Hamilton Fish]]: 26th [[United States Secretary of State]]; United States Senator from New York; 16th Governor of New York
File:Daniel D. Tompkins portrait.jpg|[[Daniel D. Tompkins]], fourth [[governor of New York]] from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth [[vice president of the United States]] from 1817 to 1825
File:President Barack Obama.jpg|[[Barack Obama]]: 44th [[President of the United States]]; United States Senator from [[List of United States Senators from Illinois|Illinois]]; [[List of Nobel laureates|Nobel laureate]]
File:Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch Official Portrait.jpg|[[Neil Gorsuch]], [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States]]
File:William Barr.jpg|[[William Barr]]: 77th and 85th [[United States Attorney General]]
File:Eric Holder official portrait.jpg|[[Eric Holder]]: 82nd United States Attorney General
File:ArthurBurns USArmyPhoto 1955.jpg|[[Arthur F. Burns]], 10th [[Chairman of the Federal Reserve]] and former U.S. Ambassador to [[West Germany]]
File:Schwinger.jpg|[[Julian S. Schwinger]]: Nobel laureate; pioneer of [[quantum field theory]]; one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century
File:Joshua Lederberg-nih.jpg|alt=|[[Joshua Lederberg]], biologist, winner of the 1953 [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]]
File:Nobel Laureate Leon Cooper in 2007 (square).jpg|alt=|[[Leon Cooper]], physicist, winner of the 1972 [[Nobel Prize in Physics]]
File:Professor Richard Axel ForMemRS.jpg|alt=|[[Richard Axel]], biologist, winner of the 2004 [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]]
File:Robert Lefkowitz 1 2012 (cropped).jpg|alt=|[[Robert Lefkowitz]], biochemist, winner of the 2012 [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]]
File:Arthur Ashkin EM1B5678 (44417135450) (adjusted).jpg|alt=|[[Arthur Ashkin]], winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] in 2018
File:Armand Hammer 82.jpg|[[Armand Hammer]], owner of [[Occidental Petroleum]], philanthropist and citizen diplomat
File:John W. Kluge (American businessman).jpg|[[John Kluge]], billionaire philanthropist, owner of [[Metromedia]], [[List of richest Americans in history|richest man in the United States in 1990]]
File:Robert Kraft at Patriots at Raiders 12-14-08.JPG|[[Robert Kraft]]: Owner, chairman, CEO of the [[New England Patriots]]; billionaire
File:1923 Lou Gehrig.png|[[Lou Gehrig]]: [[Triple Crown (baseball)|Triple Crown]] winner; 2x [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|MLB Most Valuable Player]]; 6x [[World Series]] Champion; member of [[Baseball Hall of Fame]]
File:Oscar Hammerstein - portrait.jpg|[[Oscar Hammerstein II]]: 8x Tony Award winner; 2x Academy Award winner
File:Rodgers.jpg|[[Richard Rodgers]]: legendary [[Emmy Award|Emmy]], [[Grammy Award|Grammy]], [[Academy Awards|Oscar]], and [[Tony Award|Tony]] [[List of people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards#Richard Rodgers|award-winning]] composer; [[Pulitzer Prize]] winner
File:Kerouac by Palumbo.jpg|[[Jack Kerouac]], [[Beat Generation]] author
File:Allen Ginsberg 1979 - cropped.jpg|[[Allen Ginsberg]], leading figure of the [[Beat Generation]]
File:Maggie Gyllenhaal Berlinale 2017.jpg|[[Maggie Gyllenhaal]], [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe]]-winning actress
File:AnnaPaquinToronto2018.jpg|[[Anna Paquin]], [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning actress
File:Kate McKinnon in 2018.jpg|[[Kate McKinnon]], [[Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]]-winning actress, ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''
File:Jake Gyllenhaal 2019 by Glenn Francis.jpg|alt=|[[Jake Gyllenhaal]], [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-nominated actor
File:Jodi Kantor headshot.jpg|[[Jodi Kantor]], [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning journalist known for exposing the [[Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases|Harvey Weinstein]] sexual abuse scandal
File:Timothée Chalamet-63481.jpg|[[Timothee Chalamet]]: actor, [[Call Me by Your Name (film)|''Call Me By Your Name'']], [[Dune (2021 film)|''Dune'']], ''[[A Complete Unknown]]'', [[Wonka (film)|''Wonka'']]
File:Sidney Lumet 1970.jpg|[[Sidney Lumet]]: Academy Award-winning director, ''[[Dog Day Afternoon]]'', [[Network (1976 film)|''Network'']]
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{AmCyc Poster|Columbia College}}
* {{Official website|https://www.college.columbia.edu/}}

{{Columbia}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:1754 establishments in the Province of New York]]
[[Category:Columbia University colleges and schools|Columbia College]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1754]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in the 18th century]]
[[Category:Liberal arts colleges in New York City]]