Mission

Involvement in college life supports student success inside the classroom and in the larger world. The Office of Student Affairs contributes to the academic missions of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and Columbia College by providing services designed to support students' academic goals. The Office of Student Affairs also fosters opportunities for students' interpersonal and leadership growth through meaningful interaction with peers, faculty, and administrators.

Supporting Columbia College and SEAS

The Division of Student Affairs supports the missions of Columbia College and SEAS through its programs and services. The Division of Student Affairs seeks to support the missions of the two schools by assisting students in developing social mobility.

The Need For Social Mobility

As our society becomes increasingly diverse, complex and mobile, it is imperative that an undergraduate education provides students with the experiences needed in order to thrive and succeed in a global community. Through active participation in a variety of programs and services, students will have the opportunity to experience and develop life and leadership skills that complement and support their academic studies and prepare them to contribute to their communities. The focus of these programs is student development in a variety of ways - including social, intellectual, ethical, and physical development. A key element of an undergraduate's education is their interactions with other members of the Columbia community, including their classmates, faculty, administrators, staff and alumni. These inter-generational interactions serve as valuable educational resources that enrich the overall college experience.

Resources that promote social mobility are designed to facilitate student participation in a variety of individual and group experiences. Events will be arranged for students by the RAs on their floors, residence life staff, club leaders and student activities coordinators, religious groups, student affairs staff, alumni relations staff, and faculty-in-residence.

Areas of Exploration and Opportunity

Intellectual Development

The cornerstone of a Columbia education is intellectual development. The formative intellectual experience is in a small Core seminar in which students learn, among other things, how to read challenging material, how to acquire a voice of authority in a collaborative learning environment, how to contribute to group conversation, and how to listen. The richness and depth of the Core Curriculum material and the University's wide array of other academic programs encourage advanced intellectual inquiry that strengthens the critical and analytical abilities of students. It is important to realize, however, that in addition to one's time in the classroom, intellectual development occurs in several other arenas at Columbia. As students seek academic advising, explore the libraries and attend workshops to build the skills that improve their academic decision-making, and as they interact with faculty, administrators, and each other in programs designed to support their academic success, they will be regularly challenged and supported in their intellectual development.

Interpersonal Relationships

One of the greatest resources of Columbia University is the people who attend and work at the institution. Students will have numerous opportunities in the residence halls, classes, co-curricular activities, study groups, student organizations, and outreach programs to interact and learn with other individuals and social groups. Be it peers, faculty, staff, administrators or alumni, students should take full advantage of the opportunity to develop the interpersonal relationships that will enrich their education and diversify their experiences.

International/Intercultural Community

Diversity is a factor that often favorably influences a student's decision to attend Columbia. Our community brings together people of every imaginable background for a common purpose. What begins as a surface excitement and acknowledgement of our differences often grows over the course of one's education to a greater and deeper understanding of what it means to participate with very different people in the living, learning, and working environment of a thriving academic community. Understanding and appreciating differences at Columbia through active participation in student organizations, classroom group assignments, and a myriad of programs designed to facilitate student interaction and understanding of their fellow community members is preparation for the future leadership roles that students will take in a diverse, global society into which they will graduate.

Community and Civic Responsibility

As students of a university, as members of a neighborhood community, as citizens of an international city, and as participants in a global community, Columbia undergraduates have the ability to make and act on decisions that benefit other members of these larger societies. Students should seek out venues in which you can explore the complex challenges and issues we face as a community in the twenty-first century. Programs have been established for students through Community Impact, Double Discovery Center, Campus Ministries, Student Development and Activities, and student government where students can practice skills, explore values, and consider solutions to many community issues.

Leadership Development

The opportunity to develop skills and adopt a variety of leadership roles during the college experience will help prepare students for future positions in their communities and careers. Columbia provides a wide array of leadership opportunities through its over 300 hundred recognized clubs and organizations, peer educator and mentor programs, student internships and work-study positions. Students can also take advantage of more formalized leadership training through the Office of Student Development and Activities, Intercultural Resource Center, and Residential Programs.

Personal Health and Development

Personal health and development is a life-long responsibility which includes awareness of one's personal health needs and physical well-being. Students are encouraged to recognize and take responsibility for their personal health needs and utilize the resources available to assist them in this area, including Alice!, Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, and programs in the residence halls.

Spiritual Understanding

One's capacity for understanding and making sense of the human condition and of the large implications of one's own life on earth is central to spiritual understanding and to the roles and responsibilities entailed. Columbia students are part of a community with members committed to a variety of beliefs and values. We provide students with a range of resources and personnel, in areas such as Earl Hall and the Kraft Center, to explore and strengthen values and to support students in their personal spiritual growth and understanding.

Providing Direction

The Division of Student Affairs supports the academic mission of Columbia College (CC) and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). Central to these efforts are our programs to support the academic explorations of students while in college. We expect that students will develop informed expectations on their advising needs and we will work with students to address them. The programs and services provided by student affairs are only one part of the multiple sources of advice that are available at Columbia. There is one-on-one advising beginning in the first two years when students are assigned academic advisors in their Class Centers. Students also have the opportunity to receive individual advice from Resident Advisors (RAs) in the residence halls, or through peer advisors in academic departments. In the last two years, students will select a major and advisors will be assigned to students within their academic departments.

There is resource-specific advice available from various departments and programs, such as Financial Aid & Educational Financing, Health and Related Services, the Pre-professional Office, and the Scholars Program and Fellowships Office. Students will have opportunity to receive advice on personal development and skill building, through programs and services offered by Earl Hall, the Office of Student Development and Activities, which include leadership programs and New Student Orientation, the Academic Services and Intercultural Resources unit, which supports the Intercultural Resource Center (IRC) and their programs aimed at promoting cultural awareness and appreciation on campus.

We also encourage students to use the "tools" provided to support the various types of advising listed. These tools are designed to supplement--not substitute-- the main sources of advice from deans and faculty. Personal contact is always most effective, and these "tools" can and should be used to inform one's thinking before and after they have spoken to an advisor. The advising Web site, the on-line Bulletin, and the use of e-mail are ways to gain more information or to do some fact finding before or after talking with an advisor.

These advising resources are designed to facilitate student efforts to explore academic, social, and career opportunities; to contribute to the intellectual and personal development of students in a residential academic community, and to prepare them for life after College as well as for their continuing relationships with the College after graduation as lifelong members of the alumni community.