14 Comments
In the wake of yesterday’s historic election, your President has reached out to CU alums. Ha, oh no, not that President.
PrezBo has just emailed the alumni listserv in celebration of last night’s victory. “All of us who have graduated from Columbia have special reason for excitement,” he wrote.
Undergrads, of course, have received no such email, as unlike PrezBo and Barack Obama and every member of the alumni listserv, they have not actually graduated and therefore have no “special reason for excitement.”
PrezBo directs the alums to the University’s official press release about the election. In the brief article, PrezBo also gives a gracious shoutout to McCain, who is “part of the Columbia family,” via his daughter, erstwhile blogger Meghan McCain, CC ’07.
Full secret alumni-only PrezBo communique after the jump.
From: President Lee C. Bollinger <cualumni-response@columbia.edu>
Date: Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 8:32 PM
Subject: President-elect Obama ’83CC
To: Columbia University Alumni <[redacted]>
Dear Columbian,
Yesterday’s election was historic, of course, and all of us who have graduated from Columbia have special reason for excitement. We note with pride that Barack Obama ’83CC will be not only the first African-American but also the first Columbia degree-holder to occupy the Oval Office.
At Columbia we think continually about our role in helping to prepare remarkable men and women for leadership. With one alumnus, David Paterson ’78CC, now serving as Governor of New York and another elected to the nation’s highest office, we are reminded of the University’s core commitment to public service and its tradition of producing outstanding leaders for our nation and our world.
You can read more about President-elect Barack Obama and Columbia in this Columbia news announcement. Whatever our political inclination, we can all take pride in having a Columbian in the White House.
All the best,
Lee C. Bollinger ’71LAW
President
Columbia University
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14 Comments
@CC07 I got no email. humph
@DHI And there were 96-year old Columbia graduates who never thought they’d see a Columbia degree-holder in the White House in their lifetime. It’s a far cry from the days when Columbia degree-holders weren’t allowed to vote and couldn’t even drink at Non-Columbia-Grad water fountains.
@,,,, Never Forget.
@That's because New Hampshire is an important primary state.
@07 alum obama turned cc down my year for a commencement speech at southern new hampshire university
@Well, I guess he won’t be coming around anytime soon to deliver a class day speech. Although you never know, given that poor John McCain did four years ago. Perhaps Obama will want to earn the distinction of having upstaged him in yet another venue.
@barack i really enjoy the idea of barack obama getting this e-mail in his inbox.
@alumnus Does anyone really think that Barack Obama is an active alumnus whose personal email address is in the hands of the administration? He barely acknowledged going to Columbia.
I wonder if he will contribute to the campaign for financial aid – given his spread the wealth sentiment…
@hahaha good call. although i think #6 has a point.
@announcement: “Theodore Roosevelt, who was president from 1901 to 1908, and his cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt, president from 1932 to 1945. Both attended Columbia Law School but did not graduate.”
@What about The Roosevelts? Didn’t Teddy go to Columbia Law?
@but he didn’t graduate. Same with FDR
@Right. That’s why their mention doesn’t merit excitement. And besides, they weren’t figures of Obama’s stature… Incidentally, Theodore Roosevelt attended law school WHILE Vice President of the United States, along with his secretary. He was bored at work.
@Alum Not true. He attended the law school from 1880 to 1882 and dropped out because he had been elected to the state assembly. He didn’t become Vice President until 1901. Besides, it would have been (and still would be today) impossible to preside over the Senate in DC while attending classes in NYC.