wire:
newsfromtheColumbiacommunity
Fall Enrollment Jumps, Led by Increase in New Freshmen
Enrollment reports for fall 2006 show that a total of 11,499 students were enrolled at the close of the add/drop period, an increase of 6.1 percent over fall 2005. The college has seen steadily increasing enrollment over the last decade, with an average increase of 3.6 percent per year, but this year's jump is slightly higher than expected, and higher than early-summer projections indicated.
The overall increase was led by a notable increase in new freshmen students. New freshmen this fall number 1,986, an 8.6 percent increase over last year. Continuing student enrollment increased by 6.1 percent, a significant number considering that continuing students are by far the largest group making up the student body. Graduate student enrollment increased 4.3 percent over fall 2005.
Of the 1,986 new freshmen attending the college, 733 of them, or 37 percent, are from out of state, with students hailing from 43 different states. This shift is consistent with an increase in the campus-resident student popluation. Columbia is the second-largest private, residential college in the state, and has recently evolved from a commuter school to a high-volume residential campus. This fall, 2,400 students will live on campus, estimates Murphy Monroe, executive director of admissions. “We are truly one of the hottest art colleges in the country,” he said.Jones, Reynolds Continue “Conversations” Series
Columbia continued its popular “Conversations in the Arts: Up Close with …” lecture series with appearances by James Earl Jones and Debbie Reynolds.
In February, Jones joined Columbia trustee Barry Mayo on the stage of the Dance Center to discuss his career and the challenges facing African American actors. His honest and thoughtful responses to the audience made for an evening of genuine engagement.
The Dance Center also provided the setting in April as alum Steve Kmetko (’76) interviewed a spunky Debbie Reynolds. The petite actress/singer/dancer reminisced about her professional and private life, sharing details that were alternately poignant and humorous.
Since its debut in 2004, the series has brought iconic cultural figures such as Lauren Bacall, Ben Vereen, Julie Andrews, and Mary Tyler Moore to campus to speak about their lives and art. Following each public program, members of the President’s Club, the college’s giving society for those donating at the $1,000 level and above, are invited to an exclusive VIP reception with the star.
On October 19, broadcast journalist Joan Lunden will launch the 2006-2007 “Conversations in the Arts” series. Lunden was the longest-running host on early morning television, serving as the face of ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” for 17 years. She is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and one of the most visible moms in America. For more information see www.colum.edu/upclose or call 312-344-7288. For ticket information visit www.ticketweb.com or call 866-468-3401.
College Scores New Music Program
Columbia will launch a new graduate degree program this fall, offering a Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition for the Screen. In development for two years, the highly selective program is open to candidates who hold undergraduate degrees in music, sound design, music composition, and a range of related artistic disciplines.
“We want to ensure that students coming out of our program are at the top of their form and have the theoretical, critical, and creative education, plus the technical training necessary to work in their chosen field,” said Dick Dunscomb, chair of the music department. “The program taps into the combined knowledge and technical resources of our production-oriented programs. It will offer the complete interdisciplinary education students need to be successful in the multi-faceted music-scoring industry.”
The college appointed Grammy-winning producer Andrew Warren Hill to direct the program. Hill, 54, comes to Columbia with a wealth of experience as a music producer, composer, writer, and teacher. He is best known among his Hollywood peers for his association with many Academy Award-winning Disney musicals, beginning in 1989 with The Little Mermaid and continuing through Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Dick Tracy, Pocahontas, and The Lion King.
“I’d like for this program to be a model, and I know that Dick Dunscomb and Dr. Carter share that goal,” Hill said. “Filmmakers and other creators of visual media are desperate for composers who understand drama, and I believe we can develop them at Columbia. In fact, I’m not sure there’s another school in the country that could to this as well.”
Citron to Head Interdisciplinary Arts Department
Internationally recognized filmmaker, videographer, and new-media artist Michelle Citron has been appointed chair of the Interdisciplinary Arts Department. Citron succeeds the founding chair, sculptor Suzanne Cohen-Lange, who retired last year after heading the department since its inception nearly three decades ago.
Citron brings a long list of academic as well as artistic credentials. She was a professor at Northwestern University for more than 20 years, and served in various positions at the university, including director of the M.F.A. graduate program, associate dean of Northwestern’s Graduate School, and chair of the Department of Radio/Television/Film.
Citron authored the award-winning novel Home Movies and Other Necessary Fictions (University of Minnesota Press, 1999). Her work has appeared in numerous festivals and exhibitions throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States.
“I’ve been interested in interdisciplinary arts my whole life,” Citron said. “This department and I are made for each other.”
New Awards Recognize Distinguished Faculty
The inaugural round of Distinguished College Scholar, Teacher, and Artist awards have been conferred upon outstanding members of Columbia’s academic community. Nominated by department chairs and deans, and selected by Provost Steven Kapelke, awardees receive a stipend and release time to pursue their work. During their two-year tenure, awardees will create plans for scholarly, artistic, or pedagogical projects and document their progress. One full-time faculty member will be recognized in each category annually.
Stephen T. Asma (Liberal Education) is Columbia’s first Distinguished Scholar. Philosopher Asma is the author of several books, including The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha. He is also an accomplished visual artist and musician.
Chap Freeman (Film + Video) is the Distinguished Teacher. A documentarian committed to the Columbia philosophy of “hands-on, minds-on” education, Freeman has been instrumental in curriculum development for interdisciplinary coursework.
Barbara Kasten (Photography) is the Distinguished Artist. This Guggenheim fellow’s career includes scores of exhibitions worldwide. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Getty Museum.
Allan Johnson: 1959-2006
Allan Johnson, part-time faculty at Columbia College Chicago, where he was once a student, died January 6, 2006. Johnson was a respected entertainment writer for the Chicago Tribune, where he had worked since 1979. He started teaching at Columbia in the fall of 1998. Johnson taught Reporting for Print and Broadcast and had recently developed and begun teaching a new course, Topics in Journalism: Reporting Entertainment News.
Johnson succumbed to complications following a brain hemorrhage. Word of his untimely death devastated his colleagues and former students; news that was intensified by the fact that he had become a father for the second time just a few months before his death.
Survivors include his wife, Evelyn Holmes; children, Warren and Caitlin; parents, Ted and Cynthia Johnson; a brother, Michael; and a sister, Donna.
Thomas Ladd: 1961-2006
Thomas Ladd, director of major gifts and alumni relations, West Coast, died January 21, 2006. Ladd, whose energy and humor will be deeply missed by all who knew him, joined the Office of Institutional Advancement in April 2005.
A Chicago-area native who held a B.F.A. in Theater Management from the University of Illinois, Ladd came to Columbia with almost 20 years of fundraising and nonprofit management experience. His work in Chicago included development for The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, Chicago Children’s Museum, and DePaul’s School of Music and The Theatre School. After moving to Los Angeles in 1997, Ladd devoted his skills to raising funds for AIDS foundations and several arts organizations, until accepting the position in Columbia’s Hollywood offices.
