See what’s happening in your city, and get involved with the Columbia Alumni Association & Network!

Atlanta

The Office of Development and Alumni Relations hosted a mixer for local alumni at Olmstead banquet hall on Jan. 22. Alumni enjoyed an evening with President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim.

Chicago

In December, CAAN Chicago and ShopColumbia hosted a ShopColumbia Holiday Market Preview Reception featuring cookies, hot chocolate and holiday presents for sale created by alumni and students.

Los Angeles

In November, CAAN LA hosted a private screening of the film St. Vincent. The film’s editor, Peter Teschner (’80), attended a post-screening Q&A where he regaled the audience with stories about the film, editing process and St. Vincent star Bill Murray. Nearly 80 alumni attended the December holiday party that included Chicago-style deep-dish pizza and cocktails provided by Chris Klapp (BA ’01), general manager of upscale café Petrossian West Hollywood. In partnership with the alumni organizations from Northwestern and Harvard, CAAN LA hosted a Golden Globes mixer at Saint Felix lounge in Hollywood. Upcoming events include the annual CAAN Connect speed networking event on June 17.

New York

On Feb. 12, CAAN NY welcomed President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim with a reception at The Drawing Center museum. The chapter also has regularly scheduled networking events at Manhattan pub Puck Fair and Passenger Bar in Brooklyn, owned by alumna Melissa Aubert (BA ’98). For more information on future events and chapter activity, please contact James “Woody” Woodward (MA ’03) at jameswoodward917@gmail.com or Reina Alvarez (BA ’02) at reinaalvarez360@gmail.com

If you live in a major city and would like to work with the Office of Alumni Relations on organizing and engaging alumni in your area, please contact Sarah Schroeder at sschroeder@colum.edu. Volunteer leaders should be prepared to host one to three events per year, regularly connect with local alumni via social media and promote the Alumni Scholarship Fund.

Apply for a Spot on the CAAN Notional Alumni Board

The CAAN National Alumni Board will hold its annual elections this July. The deadline to apply for the Board is June 30. Three of the regional representative positions and all nine member-at-large positions will be up for re-election. Look for election announcements in late spring 2015.

Letter from the Director of Alumni Relations

Dear Alumni,

Isn’t it a fantastic feeling to be a Colum Alum? The pride you have in your personal achievements, the pride you have for our alumni community—these are all good things!

The past few months have been stellar for our alumni community. Columbia College Chicago alumni were prevalent at the Golden Globes, Oscars, Sundance, the NAACP Image Awards and more. Read more in this issue of DEMO and in the Features section of colum.edu/alumni.

While you’re perusing the new alumni website, be sure to Claim Your Account. We want to hear about what you’re up to. Update your information and write up a Class Note. Class Notes featured in DEMO (starting on page 42) are pulled from the alumni website, so if you post your news online, you could end up in the pages of this magazine.

The CAAN National Board’s Celebration Committee will soon publish stories on alumni around the country who do a variety of fascinating things. The committee members will reach out to our alums for interviews, and features will run on the alumni website. It’s another great way for all of us to share our experiences and stay connected, which is what we’re all about!

Sarah Schroeder
Director of Alumni Relations, West Coast