Graduating Students
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! As you join the ranks of Columbia Business School alumni around the world, we want to provide you with answers to some frequently asked questions we receive from students as they transition to alumni. As always, we are happy to answer any additional questions you may have. Please feel free to contact us directly at alumni@gsb.columbia.edu or 212-854-8815.
Communications and Community
The Alumni Website
Columbia Business School’s online alumni community is your primary resource to stay connected with each other and the School. The online community has been recently enhanced with social networking technology, enabling you to tap into the vast pool of knowledge and experience you share, while keeping in touch with the School.
Once you are logged on to the Alumni website, you can update your personal information, find information about events, contact other alumni and have access to career resources, news, and library databases.
If you have questions or forgot your login and password, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@gsb.columbia.edu or call us at 212-854-8815.
Lifetime E-mail Forwarding
Your lifetime e-mail is a permanent forwarding vehicle that redirects e-mail to your personal or business mailbox and enables alumni to keep in touch with one another as they move and change jobs. A non-Columbia e-mail address is necessary in order to receive and respond to your forwarded e-mail.
To update your Lifetime E-mail forwarding click on Lifetime E-mail within the "Edit My Profile" portion of the Network section of the site. Your student e-mail address will expire within 90 days of graduating, so please update this information as soon as possible.
GSB Exchange E-mail
During your final semester you will receive instructions on how to deactivate your GSB Exchange e-mail account which will automatically activate your lifetime e-mail forwarding address. Your lifetime e-mail forwarding address (i.e. jdoe07@gsb.columbia.edu) remains the same. You will now use the Alumni website to adjust where it forwards. To set up your lifetime e-mail forwarding, please log in to the Network section of the website, select "Edit My Profile" from the left hand-side menu, and click Lifetime E-mail under edit my information.
Please keep in mind that address and name changes registered on the student services website with your single sign-on ID do not automatically transfer into the Alumni website.
Discussion Groups
As an alumnus, you will be automatically added to your new alumni discussion group on the Alumni website. To subscribe to additional alumni geographical and industry/affinity discussion groups, please log in to the Network section of the website, select "Edit My Profile" from the left hand-side menu, and click Discussion Groups under edit my interests. Existing student cluster e-mail lists will be terminated approximately 90 days after commencement.
Club E-mail Lists
By the end of the summer, you will no longer be subscribed to student club e-mail lists. To subscribe to a variety of alumni industry/affinity discussion groups, please log in to the Network section of the website, select "Edit My Profile" from the left hand-side menu, and click Discussion Groups under edit my interests.
Cunix E-mail
Unless noted otherwise, your Columbia University (CubMail) cunix e-mail address (i.e. ab1234@columbia.edu) will automatically forward to the destination of your lifetime e-mail account. (DO NOT set your lifetime e-mail to forward back to your cunix e-mail or this will create a loop and e-mails to you will be bounced back. Instead, set your account to forward messages to your work or personal e-mail address.)
If you would like to disable your cunix account, please contact Columbia University Information Technology (CUIT) at www.columbia.edu/cuit
Special Events
As an alumnus, you will be invited to a number of alumni events throughout the year and throughout the world. To learn more about upcoming events, including listings of alumni club events, please log on to the Alumni website and click on the “Details” link found to the left of the event title listed on the Calendar section.
Of particular note, in June 2011 over 50 Columbia Business School alumni clubs around the world will be hosting events to celebrate the network and bring new graduates, alumni, and prospective students together. All are welcome to attend.
Remember to also be on the lookout for information on your one-year Reunion, which will take place on April 20-22, 2012 in New York City!
Career Resources
COIN
Access to COIN ends 90 days following graduation. The jobs posted on the Alumni website are specifically for Columbia Business School alumni seeking experienced level opportunities and are housed in a centralized database. You may search for these opportunities by clicking on Search and Post Jobs within the Careers section of the Alumni website. This will take you to your unique homepage within the Experienced-Hire Talent Portal where you can search for specific postings, save job listings, manage your profile, and update your résumé.
Career Management Library
You will continue to have access to the Career Management Library as an alumnus (simply bring in your alumni ID).
Alumni Career Services
Within the Careers section of the Alumni website you will have access to a number of career resources. This includes career assessments and management tools, lists of recommended external career counselors, several online résumé databases, company research through CareerBeam, individual career counseling in person and by telephone, a subscription based career e-newsletter, and workshops and events throughout the year.
For more information on career resources for alumni, please contact Rebecca Mincy in Alumni Career Services directly at rew2109@columbia.edu.
Campus Resources
Health Insurance
Students who are currently under the Columbia student medical insurance plan will be covered through the summer following graduation until August 31. For those graduating students who would like to extend coverage, please note that you do have the option to participate in the Continuation Plan. For more information regarding plans, dates, continuation, and general coverage (including dependents), please visit Columbia Health Services at www.health.columbia.edu
Be sure to access this site to confirm all dates, including deadlines for continuation and coverage as it is the responsibility of each student to contact Health Services regarding their coverage.
Alumni ID card
An alumni ID card is required to use the Career Management Library or the Watson Library. If you would like to receive your Alumni ID card, please visit the Library Information Office in Butler 201, on the first floor just before the security booth. Bring one form of identification (driver’s license or passport) in order to receive your ID card right away. The fee is $5 and the card is good for six years. The Library Information Office’s hours are: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Angel
You will have access to all of your Angel course materials for two years after graduation.
Auditing Classes
As part of your lifelong learning benefit, you are eligible to audit courses offered during the academic year, provided there are seats available in the class and permission is obtained from the instructor and a student affairs administrator.
For more information about the courses available for auditing, please visit the School’s Course Selection page or call the Office of Student Affairs at 212-854-5563.
Library Access
With an alumni ID card, Columbia University alumni have lifelong access to use any library on campus, including Watson Library in Uris Hall. Alumni who wish to check books out may obtain a borrowing privileges card for $30/month at the Library Information Office in Butler 201. Remote access to library resources is restricted to current students. (Please note: Graduating students have remote access to online databases for approximately three months after they graduate.)
However, as an alumnus you can access many full-text databases online through the Libraries Alumni Gateway.
Transcripts and Diplomas
Transcripts
Extra copies of your transcript are available from the Office of the Registrar. To receive copies of your transcript please fill out the transcript request form. There is no fee for this service; however, if the transcript is needed immediately, alumni must call and pay to have the transcript sent via FedEx.
For more information, you may contact the Office of the Registrar directly at 212-854-4400. (Press "1" to order a transcript or verify degrees.)
Diplomas
If you do not pick up your diploma after Commencement, the University Registrar will send it to the address listed on your graduation application. Delivery will take several weeks.
If you have any additional questions, please call the University Registrar’s Diploma Office directly at 212-854-8319.
**Note: Information on important documents from the Office of the Registrar may be accessed online.
Degree Verification
If you are asked to provide proof of your degree, your employer (or potential employer) is welcome to contact the Office of Alumni Relations for verification at alumni@gsb.columbia.edu or 212-854-8815.
If you need formal degree verification, you will have to contact the Office of the Registrar directly at 212-854-4400.
Yearbooks
The Alumni Committee will arrange yearbook purchase through Entourage Yearbooks. You may place your order or order a new copy through their website.
Once again, if you have any additional questions, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@gsb.columbia.edu or 212-854-8815.
We look forward to celebrating your graduation from Columbia Business School and welcoming you to the greater Columbia alumni network.
