Student Relations
As a Columbia Business School student, you are automatically a member of the School’s alumni network. With more than 41,000 alumni as part of the School’s global community, interaction between students and alumni can be a dynamic part of your experience during the program and beyond.
In the Classroom
Classroom guest speakers are frequently the School’s own accomplished alumni.
Via the Columbia Career Network
- Throughout the academic year, the Office of Alumni Relations and student clubs host a variety of Columbia Career Network events including: panel discussions, student club conferences, career networking series, and EMBA Lunchtime Speaker Series.
- While all alumni are considered members of the Columbia Career Network, if you sign up to be a Columbia Career Network Mentor, you will be highlighted as an alumnus/a who particularly welcomes current students contacting you with questions about the industry you work in, your career path, and your perspective on how to make the most of their time at Columbia Business School. Your responsibility will be to reply back to student inquiries in a timely manner and help them make the most of the Columbia Career Network.
If you have any additional questions or comments, please contact Marisa Totino at mat2193@columbia.edu.
At the Career Management Center
- Experienced alumni career coaches offer one-on-one industry focused advising sessions.
- Alumni regularly attend company recruiting presentations and other Career Management Center events.
Via Student and Alumni Clubs
- Student clubs host events ranging from 15 annual student conferences featuring alumni speakers to large-scale receptions to brownbag lunches.
- The Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York hosts more than 60 events a year and offers a discounted student membership rate.
- Many of the more than 55 alumni clubs participate in the annual Worldwide Alumni Club Event, open to current students, alumni, and entering students.
With Centers
Each of the School’s centers hosts a variety of student and alumni programs, including mentoring breakfasts, lunch lecture series, networking receptions, and business plan competitions.
Through Events
- MBA Student Affairs hosts annual student/alumni happy hours.
- The Silfen Speaker Series features top-level executives who are often alumni.
- Many other alumni speaker events are scheduled periodically throughout the school year.
On the Road
- There are many opportunities to travel and meet alumni around the world, most of which are coordinated through the Chazen Institute, centers, and the Career Management Center.
- Alumni clubs often host receptions in conjunction with student trips.
Online
Students have access to an online alumni directory on the Community page that allows them to search alumni by name, industry, class year, city, company, etc. Those alumni who have noted on their profile that they particularly welcome students to contact them are identified as CCN Mentors at the top of search results with an asterisk. In addition, students also have access to the School’s social networking platform and can request individual connections to alumni.
For more information on connecting with alumni while a student at Columbia Business School, contact your GBA Alumni Committee VP, Yaniv Kalish ’12 at YKalish12@gsb.columbia.edu, your individual Alumni Committee cluster representative, or Marisa Totino, associate director of young alumni and student relations, at mat2193@columbia.edu or 212-851-4305.
