The Columbia Alumni Center, since opening in April, has provided a first-stop landing place for hundreds of former students visiting campus.
“The question I get asked most frequently is whether people need an appointment to come here,” says Jennifer Shaw, who directs the first-floor welcome center. “The answer is most definitely no. We encourage walk-ins.” Alumni can stroll in to learn about their benefits, to peruse old yearbooks, to surf the Internet, or to have a cup of coffee in a new lounge.
The Alumni Center, located at 622 West 113th Street, between Broadway and Riverside Drive, is Columbia’s first campus facility in decades specifically for graduates. The center also provides computer access to the University libraries’ full range of electronic resources, which include some 900 databases.
On Thursday, October 15, and Friday, October 16, the center will host an “Especially Open House” featuring refreshments, giveaways, and a chance to win a Columbia University Club membership, a trip to Antarctica, and other prizes. Alumni will also be able to record their Columbia story to video.
