More than 2,400 alumni and guests returned to campus April 11–13 to celebrate Reunion 2014. The action-packed weekend kicked off with a full day of alumni panel discussions and presentations, a Manhattanville campus update, and lunch with Dean Glenn Hubbard.
During Friday's sessions, Katherine Phillips, the Paul Calello Professor of Leadership and Ethics, led a discussion on the future of women in business, while Ray Horton, the Frank R. Lautenberg Professor of Ethics and Corporate Governance, moderated a panel on the role of boards in nonprofit success. Hitendra Wadhwa, professor of professional practice, held a session on personal leadership. A welcome reception took place Friday night at Guastavino's.
In total, faculty members moderated nine panels with 24 alumni speakers during the weekend, including Donnel Baird '13, founder of BlocPower; Maria Chrin '89, founder and managing partner of Circle Wealth Management; John Martin '94, CEO of Turner Broadcasting; and Alison Overseth '84, executive director of the Partnership for After School Education. Saturday night, alumni enjoyed class dinners at the St. Regis Hotel, the Harmonie Club, the Pierre, and the Plaza Hotel. A family brunch took place on Sunday at The Lighthouse and was especially popular for attendees' children, who joined their parents for food, face painting, and a magic show.
"It is invigorating to see so many alumni come back to renew their connection to their network and the School," Dean Glenn Hubbard said. "The tremendous generosity of reunion-year alumni provides critical unrestricted funding to support financial aid and programming innovations. We're grateful for their unwavering support."
A record-breaking 559 reunion-committee alumni volunteers rallied their classmates to raise more than $2.1 million in gifts and pledges for the Columbia Business Fund and EMBA Fund prior to Reunion Weekend, exceeding the goal of $2 million. The committees aim to raise a total of $2.25 million for the two funds by the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2014.
Other weekend highlights included a discussion on the future of the middle class led by Chris Mayer, the Paul Milstein Professor of Real Estate and co-director of the Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy, and Andrew Stern, the Ronald O. Perelman Senior Fellow at the Richman Center; and a conversation on luxury retail between Nelson Fraiman '71, professor of professional practice, and Lew Frankfort '69, executive chair of Coach.
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