Whoops, *this* is our last Actual Wisdom of 2013. Or is it… Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I don’t really like such existential questions! However, I will fall back on to my Jewish world view and say Tikun Olam (“Repairing the World”). Hopefully I can do that by inspiring students to do amazing […]

For our last Actual Wisdom of 2013, we bring you Jeffrey Lax, who wants you to keep your standards high (yes, even this week). Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: Do footnotes count against the limit?  Graphs?  If you can’t read my handwriting, does it count?  I love what I do, hope my enthusiasm […]

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: If I didn’t exist, neither would you (strictly speaking). It’s all closely connected, you know… Claim to fame: Apart from being the best cigarette roller in the Northern hemisphere? I don’t think I have any claim to fame, though I fear people will remember me as the guy who […]

Next up in the series is Prabhjot Singh, professor of international and public affairs at SIPA, who’s been in the news a bit recently. You could probably find even more wisdom on his Twitter @prabhjotsinghNY. Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: Bwog, you are like the Sphinx! So I will answer duly: “Make your body […]

For today’s Actual Wisdom, we have Bruce Robbins, of previous and expansive Bwog fame. You know it’s a good sign when they already have a Bwog tag to their name. Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: Justify my existence? Can’t be done. When people all around me are getting stonewalled or downsized, why […]

It’s the weekend! Our suggestion to you on this snowy Saturday is to forgo Butler and curl up in your bed by the window to do your studying as the snow falls. To help you along the path to enlightenment, we bring you the wisdom of Richard Pious, who’s “just a humble professor.” Justify your […]

True wisdom comes when you need it most. Today, Roger Anderson blatantly disregards the 30 words or fewer limit. We’ll forgive him somehow.  Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I aim for a life “well lived”, while pushing the frontiers of science and particularly computational learning. And I know I am leaving a legacy […]

Happy Thursday. For our next Actual Wisdom we bring you Robert Farrauto, who has chosen to answer in all caps. Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I AM A HAPPY FATHER, HUSBAND GRANDFATHER AND A TEACHER OF GREAT COLUMBIA STUDENTS. Claim to fame: I REALLY RESPECT AND ENJOY BEING WITH THE STUDENTS AND TEACHING THEM […]

Happy Wednesday. We’re officially deep into reading week, which means you’re deep into finding ways to procrastinate on your papers. We’ve got an Actual Wisdom to help you out with that. Today, John Kender talks about onions. Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: Sir Thomas More: Why not be a teacher? You’d be […]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Actual Wisdom time. Take a well-deserved study break to enrich your brain with some erudite knowledge, passed down from Columbia’s very best and brightest. We’ll be sharing some real wisdom every day for the rest of finals, so you can count on your daily dose of smarts and clever […]